Mephodrone – the worst thing the government can do now is over react.

I think it’s a sure sign of my age when I discover new drugs through the media instead of through my friends. That, or maybe I’ve just fallen in with the wrong crowd...

But the first thing that springs to mind when I hear of this new fangled ‘Miaow Miaow’ (which is also supposedly plant fertilizer) is just how ridiculous the slang term is. It is near impossible envisaging anyone approaching a dealer and uttering those two syllables without sounding like they have a mental age of 5.

Yet, despite (or perhaps because of) the bizarre name, this new legal high has made headlines and has been the point of debate for the past few weeks. It appears to be the new kid on the block, who has made a stir by throwing a decadent house party that has been the talk of the town. Ecstasy is clearly jealous.

But like Ecstasy in its early days, mephodrone has also courted controversy. There have been a number of deaths which, as we would expect, have caught the attention the government. And the British government, being one of the best governments in the world of course, has deliberated about this and has considered outlawing poor mephadrone with a class B status. This would put it in the same category as Amphetamines and, that shameful drug that we have all done but never admit to, Cannabis.

However, this is the completely wrong way to go about things. I can understand the government’s concern at the growing media storm over this drug, but reacting so rapidly and in such an authoritarian manner to news and public opinion will not solve the issue.

Making mephadrone illegal will simply drive the substance underground forcing it into the hands of drug dealers and criminals who will welcome the additional income with open arms. Not enough research has been conducted on Miaow Miaow. We don’t know for sure whether those unfortunate few deaths were as a result of the actual drug or because of a corrupt batch or even dangerous mixing with alcohol.

But it seems the government is heading down the same path that was taken with Ecstasy in the early 1990s – by responding to the media-created moral panic through impulsive illegalization without thorough research. This has resulted in top scientists losing their jobs for speaking the truth about these drugs later down line – that they aren’t actually as bad as the government make them out to be.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a freedom fighter for drugs. I believe some substances, such as heroin and crack, should always remain illegal. I am however, a fighter for measured action and common sense. And it is only with this strategy, can the government reach a sensible decision on Mephadrone.

In addition, Mr Brown, regulation and taxation of certain drugs can bring many benefits. It could perhaps relieve some of the debt issues that were highlighted in the budget…