One of the most dangerous consequences of the mephedrone epidemic in Russia is the emergence of a separate caste in society of users of this psychostimulant and addictive.
For such people, methamphetamine has long become the main, if not the only, goal in life. And they see no obstacles on the way to this goal. Armed with knives and makeshift weapons, they easily commit crimes just to find a few thousand for another dose. An unstudied drug produced in clandestine laboratories is increasingly being used in an invasive way. And this is the sure way to the HIV epidemic and the final heading to the social bottom. "Lenta.ru" as part of a large-scale investigation “The Russian Mephedrone Plague” found out how far addiction to the most dangerous drug of the 21st century actually leads.
The biggest problem for mephedrone users is that almost nothing is known about the effects of this substance on the body. Reason - lack of long-term studies in Russia. This is strange for a drug that has been actively used for two decades, but it is a fact nonetheless. It is difficult to rely on data from Western scientists and drug experts, as mephedrone is not very popular in the West and is prepared from local precursors. Because of this, few of its European users believe that it is relatively safe and non-addictive until clearly proven otherwise.
In Russian scientific works from the end of the last decade, there are references to authoritative European studies, but almost all of them are related to mephedrone, which was used in the late 2000s. Yet when it comes to adverse effects and side effects, the symptoms listed in Western studies match the feelings of Russians.
"A person becomes more cruel to loved ones, which, however, happens with any addiction,— notes Stas, who has been using mephedrone for several years. - At the moment of thirst, such a person is capable of any action.
Emotional cruelty followed by outright aggression towards loved ones is often found in mephedrone abuse. Although in small doses it initially leads to the opposite effects, such as increased empathy, long marathons produce negative emotions. Many drugstores in the "dark" network warn users about this in the product description. The main role here, of course, is played by the purity of the product.
"Mephedrone, which is a synthetic cathinone, is one of the most widespread psychoactive substances in Russia and the world as a whole. The volumes of its turnover are comparable to the volumes of turnover of amphetamines, and recently, according to various experts, they exceed them”, the authors of the study from Hydra stated.
An experiment was conducted on six “relatively healthy“ men aged 26 to 34 with experience of drug use. All were given a full detox so the test results wouldn't be diluted. They received pure mephedrone and contaminated with impurities, after which they underwent blood and urine tests for two days. In the second stage, scientists no longer study people, but laboratory rats, which are injected with the drug, after which the chemists examine the tissues of the prefrontal cortex of their brains.
Scientists from the underground drug industry have confirmed that mephedrone penetrates perfectly through the blood-brain barrier (which separates the cerebral circulation from the circulation in the rest of the body) and reaches significant concentrations in the brain: active metabolites inhibit the absorption of serotonin and dopamine (increase the concentration them), which causes a euphoric effect
„Mephedrone and its metabolites do not affect ion channels and are not a direct vasodilator (substance that sharply dilates or sharply constricts blood vessels). The effect of mephedrone on the cardiovascular system is due to its effect on the release of acetylcholine, dopamine, adrenaline”, the chemists emphasized.
The main impurities in dirty mephedrone turned out to be precursors that did not participate in the chemical reaction during its production, derivatives (substances that appear in the process of biochemical reactions from another substance and are therefore its derivatives) that appear due to violations of production technology, as well as added fillers for weight (chalk, powdered sugar), which do not have a negative impact on the user.
At the same time, the derivatives caused some complications in the study group: “In two volunteers (coronary heart disease and angina pectoris), the use of mephedrone with derivatives provoked a sharp increase in blood pressure (220/170) and convulsive syndrome.“
The use of mephedrone with precursor impurities caused an increase in renal and hepatic parameters (AST, ALT and alkaline phosphatase) to pathological values in the subjects. Such conclusions did not surprise the chemists: “Precursors (haloketones, methylamine salts) do not directly affect the metabolism, but haloketones are highly hepatotoxic and their presence in the sample can lead to the development of toxic hepatitis and slow down the metabolism of mephedrone in the liver. Methylamine salts have a nephrotoxic effect, which can slow down the excretion process. Regular use of methylamine salts can lead to chronic kidney failure.
Since then, the quality of mephedrone in Russia has probably seriously deteriorated: the demand for the drug is growing, there are more and more laboratories for its preparation, and people without special knowledge of chemistry work there.
The market is flooded with an increasingly dirty product with an abundance of dangerous impurities that critically affect the physical and mental health of consumers. However, they themselves rarely realize this. And increasingly they aggravate the effect with another dangerous habit.
The hidden effect of mephedrone is the willingness to switch to invasive consumption.
The invasive way of using mephedrone leads to a faster formation of mental and physical dependence and increases the risk of developing polydrug addiction.
35 percent of mephedrone users prefer “dirty“. Many feel a strong burning sensation, and getting into the veins leads to increased formation of blood clots, the appearance of phlebitis (inflammation of the walls of venous vessels), sclerosed nodes, abscesses, and in severe cases — to tissue death. That is why users make no more than 2-3 injections in one vein.
Mephedrone's insane popularity has spawned another dangerous phenomenon — chemsex. This is the name given to parties where people gather to use drugs and have promiscuous sex. Libido-enhancing mephedrone quickly became a headliner at such meetings.
"You can meet a girl for chemical sex on any dating app. Of course, it is forbidden to mention any substances in the questionnaires. Many girls, hinting at mephedrone, put an emoji with a cat or simply the phrase “meow-meow“ at the end of your ad“, — tells Lentd.ru Steph - a lover of such experiences.
"Meow Meow" is a slang name for mephedrone that effectively replaced “meph“ and comes from the chemical formula of the drug: 4-MMCAThinone, once transformed in Great Britain into Meow meow cat
"With mephedrone, everything is simple: you either have someone to have sex with, or you just masturbate constantly if you've been using it, Stef continues. "Over time, you get used to the idea of having one-time sex with strangers. Am I afraid the police will come to the meeting instead of the girl? No".
In Moscow, there are quite a few establishments, on the threshold of which you immediately smell mephedrone sweat. This has already become a kind of sign of quality: it means that in such a place you can have sex in the toilet with a beautiful girl who the next morning will not remember your face because there were five to seven sexual contacts during the night< /p>
"And you're wrong if you think these are some garage clubs. I'm talking about the capital's leading establishments,”, Stef explains.
Chemical sex as a mass phenomenon, according to the authors of many drug Telegram channels and quite official researchers, was generated precisely by mephedrone. The remaining popular substances either do not increase sexual activity or are simply too expensive for the mass consumer.
The subculture of chemsex lovers is actively supported both by sellers of mephedrone (which is why product descriptions often include a guarantee of unforgettable sex) and by its admirers. Hence the numerous materials available on the internet on how to solve the problem of unstable erection when using mephedrone.
And almost all proponents of chemsex talk about the “realization of hidden sexual desires” and “experiments for which, in a normal sober state, the patient would not have sufficient determination and confidence”. At the same time, referring to a study by British doctors, it is noted that “Among those who practice sex with substances, unprotected sexual intercourse, which can cause sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, hepatitis C and unwanted pregnancy, is quite common.&rdquo ;.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS confirms that “chemsex is a very dangerous phenomenon, as it intertwines many problems: drug use, addiction, increased risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis and other diseases, more traumatic sexual practices.
"I always use a condom with unreliable contacts,", assures Steph. - Mephedrone does not cloud my mind so much that in a fit of passion I forget about this precaution. Even though I use drugs, I am not about to get HIV. Do girls ever offer me sex without a condom? Yes."
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One-time users who naively believe in the harmlessness of mephedrone, lovers of chemsex and systemic addicts who squeeze a new dose into a syringe every day take to the streets of Russian cities. An army is on duty 24 hours a day in parks, high-rise entrances, abandoned vacant lots and busy neighborhoods. When they are hired, they are promised, in the first month they will earn their first million. But many of them don't even have time to spend this month in freedom.