The powerful legal high mephedrone is becoming much more widely used on the British club scene, a survey suggests.
One in three readers of dance magazine Mixmag polled for an academic study has used the powder in the last month.
Mephedrone is also known as meph, 4-MMC, MCAT, Drone, Meow and Bubbles
The results make mephedrone the fourth most popular substance in the survey.
"We were surprised. It's come from nowhere to become very popular," said Dr Adam Winstock from the National Addiction Centre, who led the research.
"For a drug that's been around for a relatively short amount of time, mephedrone has certainly made a big impact on the dance drug scene."
The government has said it is a "priority" to find out more about the dangers of using the stimulant.
Its team of drug advisors has now written to the home secretary warning that substances like mephedrone could have "serious public health implications" and saying it will provide advice "as soon as possible on this important issue".
But a series of resignations from the advisory council linked to the sacking of its then chairman, David Nutt, in November is threatening to hold up the research.
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Mephedrone is usually snorted although it can also be taken in pill form, mixed with a drink or, in rare cases, injected.
It is sold online through dozens of dedicated websites as a "plant food" to get round the Medicines Act, although it has no known use as a fertilizer.
"The fact it is legally obtainable is absolutely no guarantee [of safety]," said Dr Winstock. "At the moment we just don't have the research to know what it does to people in the short term and long term."
Most users describe the effects of mephedrone as a cross between cocaine and ecstasy.Read more...
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