edgarshade
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Independent
Monday 13 February 2012
With reader comments
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-over-drug-sold-as-safe-ketamine-6804824.html
Monday 13 February 2012
With reader comments
Experts challenge claims that legal high 'mexxy' does not have side-effects
A new legal high misleadingly marketed as a safe substitute for ketamine is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, experts have warned.
Methoxetamine, known as MXE or "mexxy", mimics the effects of the banned anaesthetic ketamine, and its use has grown over the last six months in Britain as well as northern Europe, say charity workers.
A survey of drug trends published in November showed that the use of both ketamine, which is a class C drug, and methoxetamine, its "legal doppelgänger", is on the rise in several areas of the UK.
As methoxetamine is not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act in the UK, it can be purchased legally over the internet. Suppliers market the drug as "bladder-friendly", claiming it does not cause cramps or damage the bladder – side-effects associated with heavy ketamine use.
But experts say no evidence has been found to support such claims and that the drug carries the same risks as ketamine, which can include impaired mental health.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-over-drug-sold-as-safe-ketamine-6804824.html