Pubdate: Mon, 15 Mar 2010
Source: Independent  (UK)
Copyright: 2010 Independent Newspapers Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/209
Author: Michael Savage, Political Correspondent

IS THE ARMY LOSING ITS WAR AGAINST DRUG ABUSE?

Fewer Positive Cocaine Tests May Mean Soldiers Have Switched to Legal Highs

More than 6,000 soldiers have failed drugs tests over the past 
decade, an investigation by The Independent has found. Figures from 
the Ministry of Defence (MoD) show that the main drug of choice for 
military personnel has been cocaine, with a fivefold increase in the 
number of soldiers failing tests for it between 2000 and 2008.

But a dramatic fall in positive cocaine tests last year has prompted 
experts to suspect that soldiers have switched to mephedrone, a new 
"legal high" about to be outlawed by the Government. There have been 
6,360 failed drugs tests in the Army since 2000. About 58 soldiers 
have tested positive for heroin, 2,510 for cocaine and around 1,090 
for ecstasy. Though the MoD maintained it "did not tolerate" drug use 
among its troops, the figures show that about 1,300 offenders avoided 
being discharged.

Failed cocaine tests almost halved in 2009, falling from 430 cases in 
2008 to 230 last year. Ecstasy use also fell steeply. Analysts 
believe the fall "strongly suggested" soldiers had switched to 
mephedrone, available via the internet which gives users euphoric 
feelings similar to cocaine and ecstasy.

Mephedrone, also known as "bubble" or "meow meow", is popular on the 
dance scene because of its legal status and price. At UKP10 a gram, 
it is far cheaper than cocaine. The Government's chief drugs adviser, 
Les Iversen, has called the boom in mephedrone, which is usually 
taken in powder or crystal form, "quite scary".

Users can suffer from nose-bleeds, paranoia, heart palpitations and 
memory problems. It is also thought to be potentially lethal and has 
already been linked to the death of a 14-year-old girl in Brighton 
last year. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is gathering 
evidence on its effects and is expected to ask the Home Office to 
outlaw the drug this month.

MPs and drugs experts have called on the Home Office to give the 
Army's compulsory drugs tests (CDT) team the funds necessary to find 
out if mephedrone was being abused. "Evidence from the dance scene 
has suggested that the usage of mephedrone, very quickly, had reached 
to about the level of two-thirds of that of cocaine," said Professor 
Sheila Bird, a senior statistician at the Medical Research Council 
who has studied patterns of drug use in the Armed Services.

"What is strongly suggested by the Army data is that, for them at 
least, there has been a massive switch from cocaine. These guys are 
trained to assess risk. So switching to a legal high makes sense, 
because the Army does not test for it."

She called on the Government to hand Army testers the UKP200,000 
needed to test for the drug anonymously. "If this gives a 
cocaine-like reaction, then the Army would be concerned about 
soldiers using it," she added. "It requires the Home Office to hand 
the military some funds to do this. Army testers would be keen to 
find out whether mephedrone is part of the explanation of why cocaine 
use has fallen so sharply."

Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP and former infantry commander, has now 
tabled a series of parliamentary questions to the MoD in the light of 
The Independent's investigation to uncover further evidence on the 
use of mephedrone.

"The vast majority of soldiers cope with the stresses of combat 
without turning to drugs and we must congratulate both them and the 
Armed Services for this," he said. "That said, I am concerned that 
usage of cocaine has been rising steadily year-on-year since 2000. 
Given this trend, I was surprised when the 2009 figures showed a 
sudden fall by about 50 per cent.

"There is evidence to suggest that mephedrone use is rising quickly 
so I urge the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to report to 
ministers at the Home Office without delay on the drug, its potential 
for dependency and how its lethality compares with cocaine and 
ecstasy. If it has similar effects to either of these drugs, I will 
be calling for funds to be made available to the Armed Services so 
they can investigate the extent of the problem of mephedrone use in the Army."

A spokeswoman for the MoD said that the rising number of failed 
cocaine tests was a reflection of drug use in society at large, 
adding that soldiers were usually discharged for failing the random 
test. She said troops were tested only for illegal substances and 
that the legal classification of mephedrone was a matter for the Home Office.

"Positive results from compulsory drug-testing across all three 
Services have, over the past three years, averaged around 0.7 per 
cent," she added, "a much lower result than in similar civilian 
workplace drug testing programmes in the UK."

Mephedrone: The risks

Drug experts warn that so-called "legal highs" are dangerous because 
it is not possible to establish exactly what is in them and the 
effects are unpredictable. They can contain potentially dangerous 
chemicals which have never been used before as drugs and have not been tested.

Mephedrone, one such drug, is a form of cathinone, a naturally 
occurring stimulant found in the khat plant. Khat, pictured, is 
widely used in Africa, where the leaves and tops are chewed, or dried 
and brewed to make a tea, to achieve a state of mild euphoria.

The drug has effects similar to the illegal drug MDMA, increasing 
alertness, talkativeness and feelings of empathy. It can also cause 
anxiety and paranoia and risks overstimulating the heart and nervous 
system to cause fits.

Mephedrone is sold as a white or off-white powder. Severe nosebleeds 
have been reported after snorting it, and the drug was linked to the 
death of a woman in Sweden in 2008.

It is banned in Sweden, Israel and Germany, but not in the UK. It is 
usually sold on the internet as a "legal high" and described as a 
plant food or a research chemical not for human consumption.

It is illegal to sell, supply or advertise legal highs under 
medicines legislation, but suppliers use descriptions such as "plant 
foods", "fertiliser" and "cleaning fluid", with labels that state 
"not for human consumption" to get around the law.

The drug is sometimes mixed with other cathinones and caffeine. 
Mephedrone is available for as little as UKP5 a gram, whereas MDMA 
costs about UKP35 a gram. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake