Calls for mephedrone ban

Head teachers have asked the government to ban the legal drug mephedrone after the deaths of two teenagers.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said the drug had the same dangers as Class A substances.

Mick Brookes, the NAHT general secretary, said: "This drug clearly has the same inherent dangers as any Class A drug and I think serious consideration should be given to banning it."

"The problem with that is that you then criminalise the people who take it, so we need to think very carefully about what we do, but act with some speed."

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Three people are helping police with their investigation after two teenagers died on Monday.

Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, died after taking the drug on a night out in Scunthorpe.

The substance has become popular on the UK club scene in recent months after several websites have made mephedrone available for sale.

Drug experts have warned that it is very difficult to calculate the level of mephedrone abuse in different parts of the country.

Bob Crossland, from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug and Alcohol Action Team, said: "There appears to be quite a lot of it around and it is relatively cheap. How big a problem it is at the moment is difficult to be certain about."

"The fact that it is called a 'legal high' means that people may see it as something which is potentially a safe thing to do and won't get them in trouble."

Mephedrone: The Facts 

Street names include "M-Cat", "MC", "mieow", "meow", "4MMC"

Effects similar to amphetamines and ecstasy

Sold online as plant fertiliser

Reported side-effects include headaches, palpitations, nausea, cold or blue fingers

Illegal in Israel, Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Bob Crossland from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug and Alcohol Action Team