Vol. 4, Issue 5 May 2012
 
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Oh China

China Made Designer Narcotics Sold Online
Published :1 September 2010
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They have names like Meow Meow, Drone, M-Cat, Spice and NRG-1, and since they come in powder form, they can be snorted, licked or shaped into tablets. They create highs resembling drugs from cocaine to ecstasy, the last of which is being steadily outlawed into the deep underground. The European Union tracked down some 24 new strains last year, many of them being hocked on websites as ‘plant food,’ ‘bath salts’ and ‘pond cleaners.’ Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, was banned after it ran like wildfire through Europe in 2008. Almost all of these synthetics are made in China. European authorities say the giveaway is the names. Meow Meow is the indubitably Oriental name for the recently banned mephedrone. China isn’t disputing the EU charge: the spokeswoman for the country’s State Food and Drug Administration said that China classifies mephedrone and naphyrone as ‘chemical products,’ not as narcotics.
 
 

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