Life Skills Education

Archive for the ‘New Drugs’ Category

GW Pharmaceuticals, the British biotech company, today announced the UK launch of the world’s first prescription cannabis medicine.

Dr Geoffrey Guy, chairman of GW Pharma, said today’s launch was the culmination of eleven years of research.

Sativex uses compounds extracted from marijuana plants. Clinical trials have shown that Sativex, which is sprayed under the tongue, reduces spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients who do not respond adequately to existing therapies.

It became the world’s first cannabis medicine to win regulatory clearance when it was approved in Canada in 2005 for neuropathic pain, but its roll-out in Britain – and other European markets thereafter – is a larger sales opportunity.

Last month, GW Pharmaceuticals indicated that the medicine would be approved by the end of June, with the final stages of the approval process involving only finalising product’s packaging.

At the time, Dr Geoffrey Guy, chairman of GW, said: “The first six months of this year have proven the most important in GW’s history, in which we have made material progress towards Sativex’s launch in Europe and generated positive cancer pain data.”

A regulatory green light in Spain is expected shortly after the British approval. Sativex is to be marketed in the rest of Europe by Spain’s Almirall.

Approval of the drug in Britain has triggered a £10m milestone payment from Bayer, the company said.

However, GW Pharma and Bayer must still convince Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that Sativex is a cost-effective treatment for use on the NHS. Until that happens, its sales may be slow, analysts believe.

Article taken from

More risky alternatives have sprung up in wake of the ban, showing that education is a better way to deal with drug use

In the pre-election ferment, one of the last actions of the outgoing government was to ban the “legal high” drug, mephedrone. This occurred in a climate of rabid press calls for regulation partly fuelled by the deaths of two young men supposed to have taken the drug. It now turns out that this evidence was incorrect and they had not taken mephedrone. Nevertheless, given the febrile atmosphere, the ban may have given some people the comfortable feeling that a situation was under control. At the time there was speculation that other “legal highs” were waiting in the wings to replace mephedrone. It is perhaps too soon to know what effect the mephedrone ban has had, but there are signs.

For example, in the window of a prominent alternative cafe in the town where I live there is a neat handwritten notice entitled “2-DPMP (desoxypipradrol)”. The notice warns strongly against taking this drug as it causes profound hallucinations and has led to the hospitalisation of several local users. It seems that the drug has come in from Holland and is being used as a “mephedrone substitute”. Desoxypipradrol is a highly potent stimulant drug with actions related to those of methylphenidate (Ritalin), but unlike other stimulant drugs it stays in the body for a long time. This makes it very difficult to judge the dose to take and overdosing may lead to hallucinations and prolonged insomnia. There are alarming reports on the internet of the experiences people have had with this drug.

This is only a snapshot of what may be occurring with stimulant drug use following the mephedrone ban. It does, however, highlight some issues about drug policy in the UK that are not being addressed by these simple bans.

Banning drugs such as mephedrone may give the illusion of control, but the cheapness of synthesis in the Far East coupled with internet supply has changed drug availability forever. New drugs will become available as others are banned. The banned drugs may still be available. Because of a lack of regulation, we cannot be certain of the purity of the drugs supplied in this way, so that users may be consuming unknown mixtures of chemicals.

These new substances have often not been tested for toxic effects, such as neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity or birth defects. We also have only a rudimentary idea of how the new drugs work and no idea how they affect the brains of young people after prolonged use. These substances are not going to disappear, so we need to obtain this information. A good solution here would be for the government to set up research programmes to study these new drugs. The research programmes should aim to understand how the drugs work as well as establishing their possible long-term effects.

Despite the potential dangers, people clearly want to take drugs to change their mood and perception. We must try to understand this need and manage the situation – by putting in place public education programmes to make people aware of the risks they run when they take these drugs.

Article taken from

Here’s a fascinating article from the Guardian on Mephedrone. They’ve taken a look at how the Internet and the media have reacted to the ‘new’ drug and how users have responded to the calls for it to be banned.

Please be advised that the article contains some explicit language and graphic descriptions of the effects of Mephedrone. DARE (UK) is not responsible for the contents of external links.

Three arrested over suspected mephedrone deaths

Drug has become increasingly popular among young club goers despite fears about side-effects

Police have arrested three people following the deaths of two teenagers who are believed to have taken mephedrone, a legal drug which gives users a similar experience to ecstasy or cocaine.

Humberside police said last night that men aged 26 and 20 and a 17-year-old boy were in custody in connection with an investigation into the case of Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19.

The teenagers are believed to have been drinking together in Scunthorpe until the early hours of Tuesday morning. Wainwright was found dead at his home in Winteringham, North Yorkshire, later that day. Several hours later, police found Smith dead at his home in Scunthorpe.

One of the arrested men was treated in hospital after also apparently taking the drug, known as “meow meow” or “M-cat”, which has become increasingly popular among young club goers despite fears about side-effects that can include nose bleeds, joint pains, paranoia, heart palpitations, insomnia and memory problems.

Detective chief inspector Mark Oliver said: “We have information to suggest these deaths are linked to M-cat. We would encourage anyone who may have taken the drug or knows somebody who has taken the drug to attend a local hospital as a matter of urgency.

“Anyone who knows somebody who has possession of the drug, we would encourage them to either hand it in to a local police station or dispose of the substance and contact Humberside police.”

Police investigating the deaths found empty mephedrone packets and packages marked “herbal highs” when they searched a property, the force said.

The drug, which comes in the form of a powder, tablets, crystals or liquid, is often sold via the internet, where it can be marketed as plant food, another name for the substance. Health and drug workers and police have become increasingly concerned at its use but are unable to do anything as it remains legal.

In December, Jersey banned the substance, making it a class C drug. Authorities on Guernsey said they were considering classifying mephedrone as class A.

The Home Office has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to look into whether a nationwide ban is needed.

Article taken from

According to the BBC, The National Association of Head Teachers has called for urgent action to be taken over the drug.

You can also read about it on the local ITV news here…

For more information on what exactly mephedrone is, the effect is has on the human body and the current laws surrounding it, check out Drugscope (below)

A DRUG used as a “legal high” could be banned in the UK after five teenagers from one small County Durham village suffered a serious reaction.

Mephedrone is being sold legally on the internet as plant fertiliser but is more commonly known on the streets as “drone”, “bubble” or “meow meow”.

Its chemical formula is one molecule different to ecstasy and as such dealers claim is not a controlled substance. Their sales pitch is that in powder, crystal or liquid form it is a legal ecstasy-style drug.

However, Durham Police are warning that its use can result in severe nose bleeds, nose burns, hallucinations, blood circulation problems, rashes, anxiety and paranoia, fits, delusions and can lead to a heart attack.

Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman acted after five teenagers from the village of Cockfield, in her own constituency, were hospitalised after taking the drug.

She said: “I was really shocked by what happened in Cockfield and I know the local police are also very concerned about the impact this dangerous drug is having on our community.

“It is quite clear that legal status does make a difference, and that as long as this drug remains legal young people are more likely to use it and the police are less able to tackle the problem.

“I think its really important that this drug becomes illegal as soon as possible, and I am optimistic that we will have an announcement on it before Easter.”

She has also met Neighbourhood Police teams in Barnard Castle to hear their “serious concerns” about the recent increase in mephedrone use by local teenagers.

She has written to the Home Office to call for the drug to be banned and the Drug Advisory Council – which makes recommendations to the Home Secretary about drug classification – will shortly publish its assessment on the dangers of various ‘legal highs’ including mephedrone.

Parliament will then have the opportunity to consider their report and it is hoped it may move to make it illegal.

Inspector Kevin Tuck of Teesdale police added: “We met with Mrs Goodman last week to express our concerns and to gain her support in trying to have this substance controlled as soon as possible. She recognises the real harm mephedrone poses to users and communities within the Bishop Auckland constituency and has acted quickly to raise the issue with the Home Office.

“We are grateful for this quick intervention and understanding. Although Teesdale was one of the first hot spots in the UK this is now a national issue with numerous reported incidents and problems the length of the country. Teesdale Police want to keep this issue in the public domain to help educate potential users, parents, teachers and other professionals in an effort to reduce harm.”

In Sweden an 18-year-old died from taking the drug and it has now been banned there, as well as Israel, Norway and Finland.

Article taken from Journal Live

Children as young as 12 are turning up at school under the influence of a “legal high” drug, teachers and health workers have warned.

Teachers have reported a dramatic surge in the number of children showing signs of taking “meow meow” – or mephedrone – before attending lessons.

The drug, which is sold as fertilliser on the internet and can be bought for as little as £3, is believed to have similar effects to ecstasy.

But health workers and police warn that it causes severe side-effects, including convulsions, hallucinations, nosebleeds, headaches and breathing problems.

Teachers towns and cities, including Brighton, Durham, Harrogate and York, are now being given emergency training in spotting signs of the drug.

The dangers of “meow meow” and other legal highs is also being added to lessons in personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) in some areas.

The move comes just months after the drug was linked to the death of schoolgirl Gabrielle Price in Worthing, West Sussex. The 14-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital after taking a suspected cocktail of drugs including mephedrone.

This week, a teenager is also believed to have died at a house party after experimenting with the drug for the first time. The body of the 18-year-old was found at a flat in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, on Tuesday.

In Brighton, it was reported that children as young as 12 and 13 are taking the drug on school buses.

Sam Beal, healthy schools team leader for Brighton City Council, told the Times Educational Supplement that increasing numbers of pupils “started using ‘meow meow’ at the end of last summer and we have big concerns about this”.

“Teachers hear about this more and more and they are concerned that the drugs are being brought into schools,” he said.

Sgt Geoff Crocker, from North Yorkshire Police, based in Harrogate, said: “It’s easily available and cheap and we’ve seen enterprising pupils start selling it in school.”

Darren Archer, manager of the County Durham drugs and alcohol action team, told the TES: “We’ve mostly seen it as part of a risk-taking culture among young people, particularly in colleges.”

Article taken from

A GIRL of 14 died after taking a dangerous but legal new drug at a party, it emerged yesterday.

Gabrielle Price was said to have taken a combination of ketamine and a new drug, known on the street as meow meow, before she became ill.

Other partygoers dialled 999 and ambulance staff battled to save her but she died later that evening in hospital from heart attack.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: ‘It’s absolutely horrifying and a tragic loss of such a young life. It’s frightening that this drug is available on the internet without anyone having any idea of the dangerous consequences.’

The teenager, known as Gabi, was at a party on the Moulsecoomb estate in Brighton when she was taken ill. She had taken meow meow, also known as mephedrone and described as a cross between ecstasy and cocaine, as well as the clubbers’ drug ketamine.

Meow meow, sold as ‘plant food’ online, can create feelings of euphoria but can also cause paranoia and nosebleeds. Last year, it was linked to the death of an 18-year-old in Sweden, where it is now banned.

The article continues here

Taken from