Police amnesty before ban on M-Cat drug comes in

North Yorkshire Police yesterday urged anyone who still has supplies of the drug, which has been linked to as many as 25 deaths in England and Wales, to hand it in.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced last month that an immediate import ban had been enforced for mephedrone, and its sale will be completely outlawed when it is designated a Class B drug tomorrow.

Detective Inspector Matt Walker, from North Yorkshire Police's Organised Crime Unit, said: "North Yorkshire Police is aware of the risks that substances like mephedrone pose.

"With the illegal classification in place, measures will be taken to disrupt its distribution and bring dealers and those using this substance to justice." Det Insp Walker stressed that anyone handing in mephedrone to the police before the drug is outlawed will not be required to leave their name.

Many clubbers have switched from illegal drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine to mephedrone, which is also known as M-Cat or Meow Meow.

However, the so-called legal high has been linked to several recent deaths.

Nicholas Smith, 19, from Winterton, near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, died along with his friend Louis Wainwright, 18, on March 15 following a night out in the town after apparently taking mephedrone.

In another case, Lois Waters, 24, was found dead at a friend's house in Norton, near Malton, on March 22.

Officers confirmed she had taken mephedrone in the house before her death.

The drug is sold as a white powder which is usually snorted in a similar way to cocaine, and is also found in capsules and pills or can be dissolved in a liquid.

The effects have been described as a mix between ecstasy and cocaine, and users claim they feel more alert, confident and talkative.