Mephedrone / Meow Meow

The debate amongst scientist, the police, government and users, regarding the relative dangers of Mephedrone, or Meow Meow as it commonly referred to, rumbles on and on.

In the case of Benjamin Walters and Lindsey Wilson who both died after the same party, the coroner returned a verdict of death by misadventure. It seems that in this case Meow Meow was combined with Morphine which resulted in the sad death of these two young people.

There has been some debate regarding the real danger from Mephedrone and it has only recently been classified as a controlled drug, but is still readily available and cheaper than some of it’s ‘competitors’. Reports of the dangers have been conflicting, with Mephedrone related deaths being reported and then retracted on further examination. It does seem that it is combined with other drugs (including alcohol), where it becomes more lethal.

There was even a recent report which suggested that the increase in the use of Mephedrone had reduced Cocaine related deaths, as some users have migrated away from Cocaine to the cheaper Meow Meow which until recently was after all legal.

The fact is both drugs are dangerous and both can kill. In 2008 Cocaine was responsible directly for nearly 100 deaths; this from a drug which few users see as either addictive or dangerous, when in reality it is both.

Drug use is endemic in society with millions of users across the UK taking class A, B and C controlled (illegal) drugs on a regular basis. This fact means that drug use affects almost every workplace in one form or another and all significant businesses (and certainly anyone working in the Licensed Retail Sector) should consider some form of Drug Awareness training, in order to minimise the impact drugs have on their business.

At Beyond the Blue Training & Consultancy we deliver a number of different courses and services including;

Consultancy Service – Covers a variety of areas from developing effective workplace systems, re-focusing our clients business to guide them towards their goals and assisting with licence applications.
Conflict Management – Our Conflict Management and Resolution Course compliments personal development and helps learners deal proactively with Workplace Violence; the Personal Safety for Lone Workers Course teaches the core skills to help employees deal effectively personal safety issues.
Drug Awareness – Our Drug Awareness Training helps clients work proactively towards a drug free workplace.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

To view the original article - Mephedrone ban blamed for rise in cocaine deaths

To view the original article – Drug death pair died as pals watched TV in flat

Source – Independent / Metro

Date – 24^th November 2010 / 19^th October 2010

Submitted by – Peter Mayhew