Should miaow-miaow be banned

The "legal high" mephedrone – also known as M-Cat, plant food, and miaow miaow – is getting a lot of attention because a series of deaths have been linked to the drug. Most recently, two teenaged men in the UK died after taking it on Sunday night, although the results of medical tests to determine the causes of their deaths will not be known for several weeks.

It has become the fourth most popular drug in the UK behind cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine over the past year. The British government's official drug advisers are expected to recommend that it be banned, but some drugs policy experts say criminalisation could do more harm than good. Now New Scientist cuts through the hype.

What is mephedrone?

The leaves of the khat plant, Catha edulis, are chewed for the stimulant, amphetamine-like properties of its active ingredients cathinone and cathine, mostly in east Africa and in migrant groups elsewhere. Mephedrone – more properly 4-methylmethcathinone – is the best known of a family of synthetic or substituted cathinones. It is commonly sold as a white powder or in capsules and is usually snorted or swallowed.

Where does it come from?

The vast majority is produced by Chinese chemical companies, which sell it for around £4,000 a kilogram, mostly to European dealers who sell it online for £10 to £15 per gram or less for larger quantities.