A BURTON drug and alcohol treatment centre says it is concerned about the new legal high that has replaced the recently banned Mephedrone.
As the music festival season kicks off again, one of the mind-altering substances in particular, NRG-1, is causing deep concern for bosses at the Burton Addiction Centre, in Station Street.
It is the latest craze on the drug scene and has already flooded the streets of Burton and South Derbyshire.
The new legal high, known as NRG-1, has a chemical name of Naphyrone.
Like Mephedrone, which was advertised as ‘plant food’ to creep around the law, Naphyrone is being advertised as ‘pond cleaner’.
The white power drug, which is rarely injected and usually snorted but can also be taken in capsule form, can be bought off the internet for as little as £10 a gram.
Karen Wilde, the communication manager at BAC, said: “Both MDA1 and NRG-1 appear to be replacing Mephedrone, banned in April, as the new ‘legal highs’.
“Legal or illegal, we at the Burton Addiction Centre are concerned about any drug that results in addiction issues.
Mephedrone and its related compounds have been made illegal after measures were rushed through Parliament on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
The ACMD found the substance was “likely to be harmful”, despite unfinished research.
The drug has been linked to several deaths but there has been no conclusive scientific proof that it has been solely responsible for any of them. As a Class B drug — the same category as cannabis and amphetamines — anyone now found carrying Mephedrone could face up to five years’ imprisonment - while dealers could receive up to 14 years.
