UK - Concern over low seizures of banned drug mephedrone

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edgarshade

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The Press and Journal

MSP FEARS FIGURES REVEAL ONLY FRACTION OF AMOUNT BEING USED IN NORTH-EAST
BY SHONA GOSSIP

Published: 12/01/2011

With reader comments

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2086644

Police in the north and north-east have seized just £60,500 worth of mephedrone since it was banned, it can be revealed.

A total of 7.7lb (3.5kg) of the drug, also known as Mcat or Bubbles, has been recovered by Grampian Police and Northern Constabulary since the “legal high” was outlawed last April.

Last night the authorities said the “relatively small seizures” indicated the substance had dropped in popularity since it was made a Class B drug, after it was linked to the deaths of 25 people in Scotland and England.

But one north-east MSP raised his fears that the figures revealed only a “fraction” of the amount of Mcat being used.

Since it was banned, 5lb 28oz (2.4kg) of Mcat, with a street value of between £34,400 and £51,600, was seized by Grampian Police, according to figures obtained using Freedom of Information legislation.

Officers charged 39 people in Grampian after they were caught with the substance, with the majority of arrests being made in Aberdeen city centre for possession.

Five people in Kincardine and Deeside, two in both Buchan and Moray and one in the Gordon area were charged with being in possession of Mcat.

Inspector Andy Imray, substance misuse co-ordinator for Grampian Police, said: “Since the drug was made illegal on April 16, combined with media reports linking it to deaths in the UK, there has been a notable decline in its popularity in the north-east.

“Before, if someone wanted to take something to give them whatever high they were seeking, they might have been tempted by mephedrone as it was not illegal, but now that they run the risk of a criminal conviction, the drug has not continued to be as popular.”

He also warned that the drug had been linked to organised crime gangs in the north-east and said they could be involved in spreading its use.

In the north, 26 people were charged by Northern Constabulary who seized 15oz (445g) of Mcat, valued at about £8,900, between April and December.

Most of the arrests were made in Inverness and the Caithness and Sutherland areas.

Tayside Police were unable to give details about the quantity of Mcat recovered, but revealed that nine people across the region had been arrested for possession with intent to supply.

The force was the only one to record an Mcat-related death for 2010, but confirmed it happened before the party drug was banned.

Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said the figures showed banning the drug had been the right decision.

The north-east MSP said last night: “These figures show that Mcat has been a serious problem in terms of distribution in Grampian and the north and that it was absolutely right to take action to ban this substance.

“It was linked to serious health implications for those who took it.

“These figures are not substantial quantities, but they only reflect a fraction of the availability of Mcat in the north and north-east.”

A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said officers would use tip-offs from the public to continue tackling the problem, and warned that anyone caught with a controlled drug – even unwittingly – would be prosecuted. He added: “We should also take this opportunity to reinforce previous warnings to anyone tempted to use those substances which are labelled as ‘legal highs’. There is no guarantee that a substance supplied as a legal high does not contain controlled drugs and anyone found in possession of same will have to suffer the consequences.”
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"anyone caught with a controlled drug – even unwittingly – would be prosecuted"

This is a statement I have a real problem with. If I order something from a vendor and they supply a controlled substance then who is at fault? If I bought washing powder from Tesco in good faith and it turned out to be meth then should I be prosecuted for that?

It reminds me of those countries where women get harshly punished by the law for the misfortune of being raped.
 
“Before, if someone wanted to take something to give them whatever high they were seeking, they might have been tempted by mephedrone as it was not illegal, but now that they run the risk of a criminal conviction, the drug has not continued to be as popular.”

I can't figure out if this statement is either naive or just dishonest. The drug has continued to be less popular simply because of lack of supply - not the risk of a criminal conviction. Stupid fucking pigs.
 
7zark7 said:
The drug has continued to be less popular simply because of lack of supply - not the risk of a criminal conviction. Stupid fucking pigs.
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And also the availability of newer substances.

Another factor is that the market for it has been driven underground and is now less easy to track. Any amount of "seizures" of the substance due to "swoops" and "crackdowns" are always a very small tip of a very large iceberg.
 
edgarshade said:
"anyone caught with a controlled drug – even unwittingly – would be prosecuted"

This is a statement I have a real problem with. If I order something from a vendor and they supply a controlled substance then who is at fault? If I bought washing powder from Tesco in good faith and it turned out to be meth then should I be prosecuted for that?

It reminds me of those countries where women get harshly punished by the law for the misfortune of being raped.
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The words you're looking for are MUSLIM, as in Muslim countries, and STONED, as in buried up to your chest in dirt and left there as rocks are thrown at you until you are dead-for being raped without multiple witnesses present. Islam is the source of these particular atrocities. More specifically, the 'prophet' Muhammads mouth and actions hundreds of years ago are the source.
 
Dragynfyr said:
The words you're looking for are MUSLIM, as in Muslim countries, and STONED, as in buried up to your chest in dirt and left there as rocks are thrown at you until you are dead-for being raped without multiple witnesses present. Islam is the source of these particular atrocities. More specifically, the 'prophet' Muhammads mouth and actions hundreds of years ago are the source.
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I have nothing against Muslims, I'm only against bad laws. Did Mohamed really advocate that? I know that the concept of a woman having lost her dignity after been raped and therefore being as good as dead is something I've heard of in Hindu society as well. Cultures and attitudes change. For example, in the UK the way in which Alan Turing was treated 60 years ago would be unthinkable today.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8226509.stm
 
^unfortunately, along with assassination orders against his enemies, the beheading of innocent people and the enslavement of the spared women and children after raiding villages... putting camel thieves eyes out with hot irons before leaving them for dead in the middle of the desert... having sex with children (ie, her at age 9-13, him a solid 54 years).... these are all well recorded actions of 'the prophet'. Actions made 100s of years ago by a single human being that echo through the ages by way of his true followers, or rather 'extremists' today.

muslim does not = bad, but lots of good people are making the best of the actions of a man who became a psychopathic mass murdering pedophile caravan raider.
 
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Um, isn't it just because it was a legal alternative and now its not legal? I've never tried mephedrone or really read up much on it (stims don't interest me too much), but I'm surprised there would be much of any seizures. I kinda figured most of these rcs would lose nearly all their popularity once banned. I mean, isn't the real thing still better? Though as I said, I don't know a whole lot about mephedrone, I'm much more interested in the psychedelic rc's, and even then haven't actually got any yet. (which I would expect the same once they are banned)

EDIT: @Dragynfyr the way women are treated in the muslium world is pretty terrible, just want to point out that it's not their holy books fault. If Christians took the Bible word for word, do you wanna know how many executions we would see? It's what people choose to do with their faiths that can cause harm. The christian Bible has its fair share of pilaging and raping. Now I wish I knew more about other religions, but I'm willing to bet money that many of them have things which would seem barbaric today even if the religion does not continue such practices.
 
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^right, if people were dumb enough to follow the bible word for word, the world could be screwed up. Luckily they don't. In Muslim countries where women are mistreated (in our opinions) that isn't the case. The book is the source of all the fucked up rules. Well, to be fair, bookS, stoning technically came from a Hadith, which weren't dictated by Muhammad like the quran, but they're considered just as important and used to write laws. Don't kid yourself though, the source of all the mistreatment is indeed found in the texts.. the countries are run by religion, ie the texts, which puts them at fault.

....but i digress... lol don't wanna derail this thread completely =p
 
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