CUMBRIAN KIDS TO BE GIVEN 'LESSONS' ON MEOW MEOW DRUG

POLICE, health and drug workers are going into schools across Cumbria
to warn kids about the dangers of the 'legal high' mephedrone.

It comes after it was revealed that children as young as 11 in the
county have been taking the substance - which has been linked to a
number of deaths nationally.

Also known as miaow miaow, bubble and drone, the drug is a chemical
plant food not fit for human consumption, but it is becoming
increasingly popular amongst young people due to its side effects,
availability and current legal status.

Two teenagers died in Scunthorpe last week after taking mephedrone
and a number of other deaths are also being investigated for links.

Now, after intelligence revealed that Cumbrian children have been
experimenting with it, a campaign has been launched to educate local
schoolchildren.

Police officers will be supported by Dave Smith, leader of Cumbrian
charity the Rising Sun Trust, who lost his son to drugs 11 years ago,
and members of the Drug and Alcohol Action Team.

They aim to paint a comprehensive picture of the risks associated
with mephedrone and other controlled drugs.

Health experts from NHS Cumbria and advisers from the young people's
organisation Connexions will also be answering questions at various
events in the county.

Following the deaths in Scunthorpe, which are still being
investigated to determine whether mephedrone was responsible, the
Government has been under increasing pressure to bring forward a
review of legislation.

But as the debate rumbles on, Detective Chief Inspector Graham Coles
warned that the drug poses a real threat to Cumbria.

"Young people wrongly assume that the substance is safe because it is
currently legal, which couldn't be further from the truth," he said.

"The fact is that people who take the substance are seriously risking
their health - no-one knows what this drug is mixed with or the long
term effects that it can have."

The substance - which has similar effects to ecstacy and amphetamine
- - has been linked to breathing difficulties, diarrhoea, dizziness,
nose bleeds, increased heart rates, depression, psychosis, heart
failure and even coma.

Barbara Fleary, Cumbria County Council's risk-taking behaviour
manager added that mephedrone will be high on the agenda at the youth
summit in Rheged next week.

For information and advice about drugs and the law visit
www.risingsuntrust.org or www.talktofrank.com