Michael Bower said, “Mephedrone is sold over the counter in shops across Northern Ireland and is easily accessible on the internet. These tragic deaths outline the need for the selling of this drug to be made illegal.
“As this drug is termed as a legal high, people equate the term legal with being safe. This couldn’t be further from the truth as mephedrone is sold as a plant fertiliser and it is not tested on humans to check if it is safe for human consumption. Its effects on the human body are similar to that of the class-A drug ecstasy although they are chemically different substances.
“Mephedrone is being taken wildly across all age-groups in Northern Ireland, sometimes on top of alcohol and other drugs. The UK Government must intervene now as the drug is quickly becoming established in the lives of many users. This also brings into question the entire Government policy towards so-called “legal highs”.
“I call on those who sell the drug across Northern Ireland to cease doing so before further tragic deaths such as these occur.”
ENDS