Christian Peregin
Meow Meow to be made illegal within weeks
Popular legal party drug Meow Meow and "all similar products" will be made illegal in the coming weeks, according to health director general Ray Busuttil.
Last April, when the UK banned the substance, it was announced that the police were also seeking to declare it illegal but the authorities were still discussing how best to tackle the situation.
"Work is in progress to redraft legislation to ensure mephedrone and similar products that may come on the market in the future will be covered," Dr Busuttil said when contacted.
The authorities hope to ensure the ban does not prompt a series of derivatives of the drug to enter the country as happened in the UK.
According to experts, the drug is being used by about 40 to 50 per cent of Maltese drug taking partygoers.
International media reports said Meow Meow was being mass produced in China and, although the UK ban reduced its availability, it also prompted manufacturers to step up their creativity with various derivatives.
a Justice Ministry spokesman said this was an issue for "medical, pharmaceutical and law enforcement expertise". "At present, the consultations on this subject between the stakeholders mentioned are under way."
Sources said discussions were, in fact, ongoing with the Attorney General and scientists to ensure the redrafted law would be worded in a fully comprehensive way, not to allow loopholes. Once an agreement is reached, the ban will come into force automatically with a legal notice, empowering the police to begin taking action against users.
The law lists various drugs and deems all their derivatives illegal. However, it is not specific about mephedrone, the technical term for Meow Meow.
The drug has been described as very similar to ecstasy and cocaine and is sold over the internet as plant food for about €10 per gram. It is commonly snorted or diluted in drinks and produces euphoric effects, although user reports have said it has disturbing after effects.
It has also been linked with several deaths, particularly in the UK, especially in cases where it was taken with other drugs or copious amounts of alcohol.
Drug experts, even those known for their liberal approach, have argued that the drug is extremely dangerous because it is untested and people do not know what the right dose should be. Its contents and long-term effects are also unknown.
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M.Cachia
Jul 14th 2010, 22:52
Mr. Smith. If you wish to have serious discussion kindly reference to some scientific papers that back your claims; links to websites and newspapers do not really cut the scientific cheese. For my part I invite you to do a general search on PubMed for cannabis to be educated on the harmful effects of cannabis, ecstacy and other illegal drugs. Here's an even better idea - just like you don't tell your mechanic what he should do to your car how about you armchair scientists don't tell the real scientists whether a substance is harmful or not.
Oh and Mr J. Borg - following on your logic - lets sell guns willy nilly to people after all, as long as we get taxews off them who cares what they do with them.
James A. Tyrrell
Jul 14th 2010, 21:16
@Paul Smith. Hate to say it Paul but you're talking crap. You sound like one of these cannabis smokers whose brain is already suffering from over use. Let me educate you a little. I was smoking cannabis probably before you were born. Most of us did back in the good old days. We didn't live for it; we just blew a few joints occasionally. Its different today Paul for the simple reason the kids today are nowhere near as responsible as we were in the early days.
The idiots today don't know when to stop. I know one guy who smokes 10 to 15 joints a day and that's during the working week. At weekends he basically does nothing else. What effect has it had on him? Well he's a brainless pratt.
My experience by the way comes from working as a police officer and seeing these young idiots first hand. It's not enough these days to make a driver do a breath test you have to check the idiots for drugs as well. If you want to spend your life taking drugs and supporting their use fine, just don't ram your lies down other people's throats.
Paul Smith
Jul 14th 2010, 17:21
Can we have a rational and reasonable debate. If only these people knew that the prohibition of cannabis was based on lies, prejudice, scientific inaccuracy and political control, perhaps he would have had a toke or two in his life and actually enjoyed himself within the limitations of his longevity. What James and other conformists don't realise is that life is fleeting and so each and everyone of us should try and experience as much as we possibly can before we kick the bucket. To deny yourself a pleasure of life such as cannabis based on somebody else's illogical, inappropriate, unethical, unlawful and immoral demand that YOU MUST NOT PARTAKE is extraordinarily unfortunate and personally irresponsible!
Kayleigh Grech
Jul 14th 2010, 21:13
I agree with Pawlu Smith
Paul Smith
Jul 14th 2010, 16:07
Drugs kill people because of prohibition James
http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/
Please go on the canabis forum and educate yourself before you talk nonsense.
I simply think you are making things up when you say you have personally seen people using extreme violence when using skunk - that is quite a ridicoulous statement - it 100% was not cannabis skunk weed then, if it made them violent! If cannabis is a stepping stone to harder drugs then baby milk is a stepping stone to alcohol and alcohol a stepping stone to tobbaco you simply have not a clue about what you are saying - our drug laws will be reformed in the same way as Spain, portugal holland, california have reformed theres. You sound like the local drunk at the bar with a half empty pint of beer, shouting - i've never touched drugs in my life
Wake Up
James A. Tyrrell
Jul 14th 2010, 15:17
@Paul Smith. Paul the main reason why alcohol and tobacco are not included in the list of dangerous drugs is because the Government make millions every year from tax on them.
You further state that 'cannabis clearly kills nobody'. Where do you get that from Paul? The sale of cannabis is a major gang related crime and as such people die on a regular basis because of it. I personally have witnessed extreme violence caused by people taking cannabis especially the stronger varieties such as skunk. On top of that given that the profit margins on the sale of cannabis are quite small dealers will use it as a stepping-stone to harder drugs, which do kill. By the way Paul have you ever seen a car being driven by an idiot high on cannabis?
I hope as you say the current drug laws are looked at and users are dealt with from a zero tolerance point of view.
Jesmond Micallef
Jul 14th 2010, 16:10
Well said, James. Cannabis and other drugs are all related to Mafia like gangs and indeed "poachers" of human beings. They prey on the weak for their own filth and scum. Thats what most end scale drug users and addicts don't realise apart to the damage they do to themselves and maybe to others too. I have read here of two very young girls being hit by a young driver while crossing the road on a pedestrian crossing who allegedly was driving under the influence of drugs. I hope those two young girls have now recovered well from their ordeal.
Mr. Paul Smith, you are still on your never ending crusade to legalise this drug xit. People should not seek the use of these substances, end of story, take one. There are hefty legal consequences to deal with, both for the dealer/pusher but also to the end user. The potential addiction and his or her actions towards completely innocent others can only make things worse. End of story, take two.
Robert Agius
Jul 14th 2010, 17:09
where do YOU get you information from? So gangs fights are all about selling marijuana right? Well, wouldn't making it legal solve the problem (apart from creating revenue by taxing it?). I have also information about dealers spraying chemicals onto the 'skunk' that make it more addictive. Doesn't this come about because the is not control and it is illegal? I have witnessed violent crime too, and you know what the main problem was - Poverty.
'On top of that given that the profit margins on the sale of cannabis are quite small dealers will use it as a stepping-stone to harder drugs, which do kill.' isn't that a good reason to make it legal then - cutting their capital?
'By the way Paul have you ever seen a car being driven by an idiot high on cannabis?' I have also seen cars being driven by perfectly sober people. Didn't make the experience any better.
Truth is very simple. You get reasonable people who drink alcohol who are not alcoholics and who still behave responsibly. Can't this be true for any other drug? Or should the responsible people be penalized?
Paul Smith
Jul 14th 2010, 14:56
Clearly prohibition of drugs does not work. There is a big debate going on in the UK about this at this very moment. The UK governments reasons for not lumping alcohol (kills 40,000 a year in the UK) and (tobbaco - kills 100,000 a year in the UK) in the missue use of drugs act 1971
according to a 2006 government report - only released yeasterday under a freedom of information act - is because according to the report - alcohol and tobacco are part of British culture - whilst other drugs are listed by harms - what kind of joined up thinking is that????
So Cannabis that clearly kills nobody and is non addictive is listed as a class B drug - whilst alcohol and tobacco that kills 140,000 annualy is ok becasue it is part of our culture!
Thank the lord that the Lib Con coalition as well as the UN realize that current drug policy has failed - we in the UK are going to take a good look at our current drug laws with a view to bring them into the 21st century
T Camilleri
Jul 14th 2010, 13:40
Why does it have to take so long? Just present a bill making it illegal and in three sittings it will become law. What are you waiting for? Some local deaths as happened in the UK? Or is someone allowing the drug dealers to stock up for a long time?
Paul Smith
Jul 14th 2010, 17:47
T Camilleri
I am no advocate of meow meow / methadrone
Young people only take it because ectasy and cannabis are illegal whilst at the time meow meow was not, and why youngsters want to take plant food is beyond me. But get your fatcs correct, there were no deaths from meow meow - the two boys whom died did not die from meow meow - this has been confirmed after post mortem - again, stop making things up, do your research people and learn to think for yourselves!
J.Borg
Jul 14th 2010, 12:17
Withen weeks of meow being illegal in the UK another drug hit the market which was legal. Making it illegal is not going to help. Tax it and sell it in stores at least we can profit from people who want to use it.