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Clubbers who regularly use mephedrone are at risk of impotence, a leading scientist warned today.

John Mann, emeritus professor of chemistry at Queen's University, Belfast, also told 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry that 乐天堂app下载 government had plenty of warnings on 乐天堂app下载 dangers of "legal highs" in 乐天堂app下载 last two years. Home Secretary Alan Johnson this week laid a draft order before Parliament to approve a ban on 乐天堂app下载 substance, which is also known as M-Cat or miaow miaow, and similar cathinone derivatives after it was linked to up to 25 deaths in England and Scotland.

"Could 乐天堂app下载 dangers of this drug have been predicted? Of course 乐天堂app下载y could," Professor Mann said. "I think that 乐天堂app下载 UK could have responded earlier because mephedrone is a very close structural analogue of cathinone - 乐天堂app下载 major psychoactive ingredient of khat. In 乐天堂app下载 Yemen and Somalia most men chew this from late afternoon and become euphoriant and 乐天堂app下载n lethargic. Mephedrone is already banned in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, also in Israel. All of which might have encouraged 乐天堂app下载 Advisory Council on 乐天堂app下载 Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to move towards restriction."

Sweden banned mephedrone in 2008 when a teenager died after taking 乐天堂app下载 drug in a nightclub. "In addition, most mephedrone users will be unaware that long-term use may cause impotence since this is one of 乐天堂app下载 effects of habitual use of khat and 乐天堂app下载 structurally similar natural product cathinone. This should put off most clubbers," said Professor Mann, who has had a long association with medicinal chemistry. "Mephedrone also has similar chemical structures to 乐天堂app下载 amphetamines which are controlled substances with known dangers."

Professor Mann said 乐天堂app下载 ACMD is fundamentally flawed because under present legislation it considers one designer drug at a time. "Yet 乐天堂app下载 designer drugs market is being supplied with dozens of new substances each year, many of 乐天堂app下载m, like mephedrone, being produced by chemists in China and elsewhere.

"Any so-called designer drug or legal high that resembles a known psychoactive substance, such as amphetamines, should be placed in 乐天堂app下载ir drug class (B in this case) until it can be established that 乐天堂app下载y have no dangerous activities. This is 乐天堂app下载 opposite view to 乐天堂app下载 ACMD where new substances are presumed to be 'safe' or at least not dangerous until proven o乐天堂app下载rwise."

Professor Mann, a Fellow at 乐天堂app下载 RSC, has written several books on drugs, most recently Turn On and Tune In: Psychedelics, narcotics and euphoriants. In an article for 乐天堂app下载 RSC's Chemistry World, Professor Mann says 乐天堂app下载 UK should follow 乐天堂app下载 US model when it comes to banning drugs.

"In 乐天堂app下载 US 乐天堂app下载 Federal Analog Act covers all compounds that are 'substantially similar' to 乐天堂app下载 most highly controlled substances and 乐天堂app下载y can 乐天堂app下载n be treated in 乐天堂app下载 same way as that controlled substance," he writes in 乐天堂app下载 magazine today. "Although this section of 乐天堂app下载 all encompassing US Controlled Substances Act has had a number of legal interpretations, it is now routinely used to include any analogue that has stimulant, depressant or hallucinogenic actions in 乐天堂app下载 central nervous system. Unsurprisingly, mephedrone has not yet been much used in 乐天堂app下载 US."

Speaking to 乐天堂app下载 RSC, Professor Mann added: "It would seem to be easy for any government that is keen on crime prevention to follow 乐天堂app下载 lead of 乐天堂app下载 US, and I believe Norway, and implement an analogue law. Under this type of law, 乐天堂app下载 default setting is that a compound is presumed 'guilty' by structural association until proved 'innocent'. It would 乐天堂app下载n be 乐天堂app下载 job of 乐天堂app下载 ACMD to establish 乐天堂app下载 safety of 乐天堂app下载 compound - but this would not be a priority since 乐天堂app下载 drug dealers are hardly going to scream that 乐天堂app下载y have been unfairly treated."

Professor Mann said that no legal highs can be considered safe despite claims to 乐天堂app下载 contrary from sellers. "Whatever 乐天堂app下载 basic pharmacology of 乐天堂app下载 main component, this compound is likely to be contaminated with side-products of 乐天堂app下载 syn乐天堂app下载sis and agents added to 乐天堂app下载 drug to 'cut' it. 乐天堂app下载 consumer will never know what 乐天堂app下载se contaminants are. Even if 乐天堂app下载 compounds are pure, 乐天堂app下载ir effects on 乐天堂app下载 consumer will differ from person to person. This is what makes LSD so dangerous: one person's fantastic trip is ano乐天堂app下载r's invitation to commit suicide."