Family devastated over death of woman who took 'legal high'

Alison Waters, of Malton, North Yorkshire, shook with emotion as she spoke of her 24-year-old daughter Lois, who was found dead at a

friend's house in Riverside View, in the neighbouring town of Norton, it is believed after she took the drug.

Mrs Waters broke down as she said: "Lois was a really lovely girl, she was really quiet. That's all I can really say about her at the moment."

The Government's chief drugs adviser, Prof Les Iverson, has described Miss Waters' death as a tragedy and indicated to the Home Affairs Committee he would be backing a future ban of the drug. It has also been linked to the deaths of Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, in the Scunthorpe area last week.

Addressing MPs, Prof Iverson said: "I am not here to give my personal views... but as a pharmacologist these drugs are amphetamines by another name and I know that amphetamines are harmful."

Malton residents say the drug, which is also known as M-Cat and Miaow Miaow has become an epidemic in the town in recent months.

Scott Simpson, 20, of Norton, who knew Miss Waters and is a recovering mephedrone addict, said: "It is everywhere around here and I think there will be more deaths to come.

"It is a horrible drug that just instantly takes hold of you. It needs to be banned.

"It is so addictive, as soon as you take it you just want more. I started taking it last year and was snorting 10 grammes of it a night – it got so bad I couldn't even get it up my nose any more.

"It is a quiet place but so many people are doing M-Cat here, it is very cheap and only a phone call away. You can get three grammes for 50 and for kids as young as 15 it is the drug of choice."

A 19-year-old barmaid at the George Hotel, Malton, who is a family friend of Miss Waters but asked not to be named, said: "I'm really upset, Lois was very well known and was a lovely girl.

"Mephedrone has really taken over here in recent months, it is really big here and I know loads of people that are doing it. It's a lot cheaper than other drugs and you can just go and buy it over the counter in York.

"I really hope this death will make people aware of the dangers."

At a specially arranged Press conference yesterday, Det Chief Insp Nigel Costello, who is leading the investigation, compared the rise of mephedrone to the Ecstasy epidemic of the 1990s.

"This drug is not just restricted to the clubbing scene it is available in small towns and people really have to understand the devastating consequences it has," he said.

"This substance is plant food, it is not fit for human consumption.

"This girl certainly took mephedrone in the 48 hours before her death. She was a normal girl, nobody is telling me that she is known for drug abuse.

"Her family are devastated and are very cut up. Nobody expects this to happen to them."

Det Chief Insp Costello said other substances were also found at the scene but would not reveal what they are as police are awaiting toxicology reports to determine the exact cause of death.

Officers attended the address in Riverside View, Norton, on Monday morning at 9am.

Mephedrone was virtually unknown until early last year but is now one of the most popular drugs in nightclubs and is widely available online.

It is usually a white or yellowish powder, which is snorted, but can also be obtained in pills and capsules.

Health research targets users

Fifty human guinea pigs are to be recruited to research the effects of mephedrone, it was revealed today after news of a 24-year-old woman's death.

The public health department at Liverpool John Moores University is appealing to revellers who already take the drug, marketed as plant food, to come forward.

The drug-takers' experiences on a night out will be recorded by academics.