What is ‘Meow’, the ‘legal high’ that may be banned?

Lord Mandelson has weighed into the controversy over the 'legal high' mephedrone, saying the case for banning the drug will be looked into "very speedily". The business secretary was reacting to the news that two teenagers died on Monday, with the drug thought to be a contributory factor in their deaths.

Louis Wainwright and Nicholas Smith, 18 and 19 respectively, died in Scunthorpe after a night out drinking. They had also taken the legal drug, which has the street name 'Meow', prompting the National Association of Head Teachers to say "serious consideration should be given to banning it".

What is Meow? Mephedrone is a stimulant in the same chemical class as amphetamine. Its similar-sounding name has led to some confusion with methadone, the prescribed heroin substitute, but there is no connection.

How is it known on the street? Street names for the drug include Meph, 4-MMC, M-CAT, Drone, Miaow, Meow and Bubbles. It is often sold online as 'plant food' for between £10 and £15 a gram.

What does mephedrone look like? The drug can come as a yellowish or whitish powder, which is snorted, or in pill form. On rare occasions it can be injected.

What are its effects? The effects of the drug are usually described as a cross between those of cocaine and those of ecstasy. People taking it feel more confident, alert and talkative. As with cocaine, the effects wear off after about an hour.

What about side effects? Immediate side effects reported by users to Mixmag magazine include sweating, headaches, heart palpitations, nausea and circulation problems. Other reports say it causes nose bleeds and sore throats.

How dangerous is it? The long-term effects of the drug are a complete unknown, and it is not clear whether it is addictive. Users often take the drug in conjunction with alcohol and other drugs, which muddies the picture.

Is it really legal? It is completely legal to buy and possess mephedrone. It is legal to sell it only if it is not sold as being intended for human use – which is why it is often styled as plant fertiliser and may be labelled 'not for human consumption'.

Will it be banned soon? Those selling the drug say it is a case of 'when' not 'if' the drug will be banned. In the early 2000s there was a similar boom in the sale of then-legal 'magic' mushrooms. The psychoactive fungi were banned in 2005 after a brief gold rush, and it is clear the sellers anticipate the same thing will happen with Meow.

A sub-committee of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is investigating 'legal highs', but its work stalled when the ACMD's controversial head, Professor David Nutt, was fired last year for publicly objecting to the reclassification of cannabis as Class B. ·