Menace Of The Cat That Mesmerises

India is a major producer of party drug Mephedrone, also called Meow-Meow and M-cat, which is being churned out by labs in Gujarat and Maharashtra, wreaking havoc on young lives. Prateek Goyal finds out how the menace is being curbed.

- Prateek Goyal

I told my mother I would kill her. And I really meant it,” says 21-year-old Raghav (name changed) when he was caught by his mother with a packet of Mephedrone in his pocket. When she tried to throw away the packet, he almost attacked her.

The incident occurred when Raghav was a 19-year-old first year commerce student at a renowned Mumbai college. His tryst with drugs began at the age of 16 with cocaine and crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth). Gradually, he became a diehard addict of the cheaper yet equally potent substitute of cocaine — Mephedrone (scientific name 4-methyl methcathinone) popularly known as M-cat or Meow Meow. It was also observed that the body of regular users stinks of cat urine.

A Mumbai-based senior official of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) explains on condition of anonymity, “Mephedrone was invented as a replacement for MDMA or crystal meth as it is a costly drug, used only by the elite and rich. Mephedrone has gained market share in a very short span and is in high demand among youth as it is cheap and gives the same high as cocaine.”

Today, Raghav is clean. The addiction only stopped after he underwent a stint in a rehabilitation centre. But what will always remain with him is a harrowing tale of addiction to the most sought after recreational drug in the market. It is still silently destroying the lives of many in the country.