Watch: Meow Meow, Banned But Not Out

Here’s Why CM Fadnavis Should Have Banned the Designer Drug Meow Meow Before He Banned Beef

So, what gets 14-year old school kids high in Mumbai?

A designer drug called Mephedrone or Meow Meow that has taken Mumbai by storm and the police by surprise. Also known as M-Cat or White Magic, it is sold as white crystals that are powdered and then can be snorted, injected or just swallowed.

The High

Meow Meow is dirt cheap when compared to party drugs like cocaine. Cocaine sells for Rs 3000 per gram. The street price for Meow Meow is a paltry 150 bucks. The designer drug is highly addictive and metabolizes very quickly, which means the more you use, the more you crave.

The Low

What also makes you crave more is the “comedown” which doctors describe as “extreme”. Users are known to get hallucinations, paranoia, chest pain, headaches and tremors. Some may get an uncontrollable urge to grind their teeth and even get blue or cold fingers. And if that isn’t scary enough, here is the worst that can happen:

In December 2013, a 21 year old college student binged on Meow Meow and alcohol. Out of his senses, in a fit of paranoia, he stabbed his mother 11 times with a scissor. He then turned on himself and cut off his own manhood!

- The Daily Mail, UK

Meow Meow is now a banned substance thanks to the efforts of Mumbai-based anti-drug crusader Dr Yusuf Merchant. But it may be too late. The drug had already gone viral in Mumbai where an estimated 100,000 people are addicted to Meow Meow. Of them, Dr Merchant says, a majority are between the age of 14-19 years, and he has seen some extreme cases:

A 14-year-old had ingested 75 grams in three nights. He was found in a state of severe psychosis. It’s been three months and he is still recovering at a psychiatric institution.

- Dr Yusuf Merchant, President, Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation & Research Centre

Is A Ban Effective?

While a ban has reduced the number of fresh cases, it may not kill Meow Meow. Experts say it’s easy for drug-makers to tweak the molecular formula and Voila! You have a new drug that is not banned by the Indian Government.

What Will Help?

1. Reducing demand
2. Awareness drives about permanent brain damage caused by drugs
3. Tougher enforcement of the Law on manufacturers, dealers and buyers
4. Vigilance at home and in school                

What will also help is a more pro-active government that does not need to be petitioned in Court to ban an obviously dangerous drug. The Fadnavis government was perhaps too busy enforcing a ban on beef, to pay attention to Meow Meow.