The ban on mephedrone, the recession and Britain’s rising alcohol problems have all left their imprints on the UK drug market over the last year, according to Druglink Street Drug Trends 2010.
Feedback from frontline drug services, police forces, drug action teams and user groups in 20 towns and cities across the UK revealed the mephedrone ban has had a mixed impact around the country, that dealers are selling drugs in smaller quantities and that alcohol is becoming an increasingly dominant player in drug scenes across the board – from homeless heroin injectors to powder-snorting clubbers.
In what is the first analysis following the move by the government in April to make the synthetic stimulant mephedrone a Class B drug, the survey found that half of the 20 areas
investigated revealed a significant drop in use.