Teenagers ‘ignoring’ mephedrone warnings (From York Press)
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This campaign by The Press intends to make the drug mephedrone illegal.
The drug, commonly known as bubbles, meow, meow or M-CAT, which can cost as little as £3 a dose, is becoming increasingly popular among young people in North and East Yorkshire, but its effects can be devastating.
Phone Jennifer Bell at The Press on 01904 653051 ext 315 or email jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk for further details.
Teenagers ‘ignoring’ mephedrone warnings
9:38am Thursday 11th March 2010 in
TEENAGERS are still ignoring the warnings about mephedrone, but parents are now aware of the issues.
That is the feeling of head teacher Jeff Bower, 50 days after The Press launched its campaign to ban the drug.
Mr Bower, who runs Woldgate College in Pocklington, first spoke out when a student at the school collapsed after taking mephedrone earlier in the year.
Since then, the school has made sure every one of its pupils knows the dangers of the drug – which is legal as long as it is sold as plant fertiliser.
Mr Bower said until the Government takes firm action to ban the drug, then young people will continue taking it.
He said: “Students in the sixth form will say it’s not happening in school, but 99.9 per cent will say that at parties and when they are on holiday it’s there.”
Mr Bower said some of the students will admit to having used it, with their reasons being that it is cheap and legal.
He said: “They are very open about it as it’s a legal substance. It’s in common use socially with the 16-plus age group. Five pounds will get you m-kat [as the drug is also known] – the same price as a packet of cigarettes.”
He said the price made the drug difficult to stamp out, but said the school had had drugs teams in and had held assemblies about the dangers of mephedrone.
He also said The Press campaign, The Menace of Mephedrone, had told parents what to look out for to ascertain whether their children were using the drug.
York GP Dr David Fair said he had seen more cases of people who had taken mephedrone recreationally since The Press began its campaign.
He said he advised patients that the side-effects of the drug are not fully known and that the drug appears to cause temporary mental illness such as paranoia.
Comments(9)
meefy
says...
12:32pm Thu 11 Mar 10
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More to the point, many teenagers become all the more curious about trying something that they're repeatedly told is bad and dangerous, instead focussing on the fact that it looks like fun and everyone else seems to enjoy it.
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Clearly the fact that Mr Bower thinks that the Press has actually provided parents with any sort of worthwhile or valuable information, goes to show how ill-informed he infact is. Unless he is refering to the many good comments left by open-minded types here on this website.
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The media persists in feeding the public with rubbish, hearsay and propaganda, encouraging moral panic and fueling ignorant hysteria. All in the desperate hope of selling more papers.
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No wonder teenagers are ignoring the warnings when they come from such irresponsible, untrustworthy sources as the York Press. Teenagers really aren't so stupid as to believe Mephedrone is perfectly safe, they just realise that the risks are worth it for the enjoyment they get... Bit like horse riding, really!
TooRad
says...
1:06pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Five pounds will get you m-kat – the same price as a packet of cigarettes.
And from the comment section of the paper (paraphrasing here):
...they think it's safe because it's legal
Well that's sealed it for me. Now I'm certain that The Press are taking the you know what in a big way. For the same price as an undeniably deadly drug, you can get a "potentially" - as in it may be but we're not sure - lethal drug. Which one shall we campaign against? The Press are having a joke with us all, I can see that now.
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Additionally, I'm appalled at the bad taste shown here by the Press running this story at this time. My heart goes out to the poor family involved in the lead story today, and I think of all the families who've lost loved ones due to the undeniably deadly effects of alcohol, both short and long term.
As long you are campaigning to ban whatever flavour of the month drug you are wasting valuable resources which could be used to fight for the educated use of something that IS actually proven beyond all reasonable doubt to be deadly.
As long as you try to pass off half-truths and hearsay as genuine drugs education, you undermine all and any genuine work that has been done by people who really care, not sensationalist bandwagon jumpers and you also undermine any trust that teenagers may have developed in that work.
You should be ashamed of yourselves, Press.
Silver
says...
1:46pm Thu 11 Mar 10
redr
says...
1:53pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Garrowby Turnoff
says...
7:01pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Fellowtraveller1
says...
9:25pm Thu 11 Mar 10
King Edward
says...
11:08pm Thu 11 Mar 10
consumer
says...
6:38am Fri 12 Mar 10
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Very true. York Press will always be with us.
More The Menace of Mephedrone stories
- New warning over mephedrone
- Mephedrone likely to have been a factor in death of Malton woman Lois Waters, inquest told
- Mephedrone: The aftermath
- Number of mephedrone dealers ‘will fall by half’
- School head ‘delighted’ by mephedrone campaign
- Was The Press right to call for a ban on mephedrone?
- Eight held in purge on mephedrone
- Police seize Mephedrone worth £30k
- Police urge anyone in possession of mephedrone to dispose of it before ban
- MP's mephedrone modification fears
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BL2 says...
10:47am Thu 11 Mar 10