Tayside Police have urged people to stop using the controversial drug mephedrone or bubbles right now rather than wait for government legislation to ban it to come into force.
Home secretary Alan Johnson announced on Monday that emergency legislation will be used to give the drug the same category B status as cannabis and amphetamine with dealers facing up to 14 years in jail and users risking a five-year sentence.
That could take several weeks to put in place.
However, an immediate ban on the importation of mephedrone has been introduced giving police officers a potential headache when it comes to investigating reports of possession or dealing.
Drugs squad detectives will need to explore the possibility that someone possessing or dealing in mephedrone, a legal activity until legislation rules otherwise, may have acted illegally in importing it.
It is also possible that bubbles may have been mixed with another banned substance, potentially leading to prosecution for the user or dealer.
A force spokesman said the health risks associated with the drug there have been a string of deaths linked to bubbles in the last few months including that of 19-year-old Dundee man Dean Webster meant its use should be stopped immediately.ConcernedHe said, “Tayside Police and its partners are very concerned by the increased misuse of mephedrone in the area.
“There is still a lack of knowledge of what the short or long term effects of its misuse are and people who misuse it have no idea about what else the mephedrone has been mixed with.
”However, reported effects include increased heart rate, agitation, irritability, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, as well as increased blood pressure.
“When mixed with other drugs and or alcohol there are clear and very serious dangers to people’s health. While, at this time, mephedrone might still be described as a legal high we would appeal to people not to take it.”
Meanwhile, Tayside Police’s policy towards bubbles will continue unchanged pending its criminalisation.