A new ‘legal high’ drug is being mistakenly dubbed as the ‘safe’ version of ketamine and is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, a recent study has revealed.
According to widespread research by DrugScope, dangerous party drug ketamine has a legal doppelganger in the form of methoxetamine (MXE) or ‘Mexxy’, which mimics the effects of ketamine.
The Druglink Street Drug Trends 2011 report, published in November by the drugs charity, discovered a growing trend of ketamine use in the UK, with MXE being marketed as the ‘safer’ version for drug-goers worried about the side effects of ketamine.
The drug is sold as the 'bladder-friendly' substitute (referring to ketamine's most common side effect - weakened bladder control) and is what insiders call a 'legal high' because the Misuse of Drugs Act doesn’t control it.
The MXE drug manages to escape being classified as a class A drug due to chemical structure differences but are still considered to be 'controlled' substances, meaning it is illegal to possess, give away or sell.
Although it is illegal to sell the drug, dealers have found a legal loophole by selling them online, so long as they mark the items as, 'not for human consumption'.
The casual labeling of this new drug is causing concern among health experts, who fear that its 'legal high' tag is misleading and dangerous.
"The new kid on the block seems to be methoxetamine,: Fiona Measham from the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs told The Independent.
"It's so similar to the chemical structure to ketamine, there is no evidence to suggest that it doesn’t carry the same risks, or that it is bladder-friendly."
Martin Barnes, Chief Executive of DrugsScope, told The Huffington Post: “Users should not be fooled into thinking that because a drug appears to be legal that it is safe.
“Methoxetamine is one of a series of new drugs which have emerged onto the UK scene in the last couple of years; many have now been brought under the control of legislation, and others are currently under consideration by the authorities. So-called 'legal highs' can be just as dangerous as any other drug."
Although MXE use is a growing trend, ketamine is an increasing worry among drug charities and experts, after the research found it has expanded into 20 different areas demographically throughout the last year.
As a result of its popularity, a growing number of young, heavy users are suffering from old age related conditions as a result - such as impaired mental health and bladder damage.
Ketamine was recently linked to helping beat depression with health experts reviewing whether it could be used to treat severe depression.