MEPHEDRONE REPLACED BY NRG-1, SPARKLE AND MDAI AFTER RECLASSIFICATION

A host of new legal highs are already competing to replace
mephedrone as the next big party drug - with some being sold for a pittance.

At least three new options are being rushed to market by online
pushers who have little awareness of their dangers.

It follows the classification of mephed-rone, also called meow meow,
as a Class B drug at the weekend after being linked to 26 deaths.

Since it was made illegal, mephedrone has gone from UKP15 to UKP35 a gramme.

Drug MDAI costs UKP25 a gramme and is thought to be the most likely
replacement. It was developed as an anti-dep-ressant in the 1990s and
replicates many of the effects of MDMA, or ecstasy.

'Websites are already starting to prom-ote MDAI and this could become
the next popular product,' said Paolo Deluca of the Psychonaut
Research Project at King's College London, which monitors the
internet for new drugs trends.

Other highs include NRG-1, or naphyrone, a chemical made in China
which is readily available online for as little as UKP7 a gramme, or
UKP1.40 a hit. It gives a 12-hour buzz, according to users.

One website had a 'half-price offer' on NRG-1 orders of 50g or more.

Another drug, sparkle, has been dubbed 'legal MDMA' because it is
said to have a similar euphoric effect to ecs-tasy. It costs UKP40 a gramme.

The Advisory Council On The Misuse Of Drugs is already investigating
the new drugs.

One user doubted MDAI would rep-lace meow meow because the two were
very different.

'MDAI does not have the stimulant properties of mephedrone, thus
making it unattractive to clubbers,' the user said.