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Inclusion of M-Cat under NDPS likely to lessen its users: Anti-drug agencies

From an exorbitant rise in its price to the wipe-out of street peddlers and the metamorphosis of bigger and clandestine players, the recent inclusion of M-Cat (mephedrone) as a 'psychotropic substance', under the National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, by the Centre is expected to bring about transformation in its sale and consumption in the city.

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From an exorbitant rise in its price to the wipe-out of street peddlers and the metamorphosis of bigger and clandestine players, the recent inclusion of M-Cat (mephedrone) as a 'psychotropic substance', under the National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, by the Centre is expected to bring about transformation in its sale and consumption in the city.

Enforcement agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC), believe that thousands of mephedrone offenders will be booked under the new provisions in the next few months in the city.

As per the new law, two grams to less than 50 grams of mephedrone is considered non-commercial quantity and the penalty is imprisonment of two years, extending up to 10, and a fine of up to Rs1 lakh. Minimum 50 grams of mephedrone is considered commercial quantity and the penalty is imprisonment of anywhere between 10 and 20 years and a fine of up to Rs2 lakh.

An ANC officer said, "The law is stringent. While 100 grams is considered as commercial quantity in cocaine and heroin under the NDPS Act, 50 grams of mephedrone is commercial quantity as per the new law." Under the law, offenders will be booked for sale, transport, import and possession based on the quantity. The offence is non-bailable.

The agencies believe that with the new law, the price of the product is going to shoot up. A senior officer from NCB said, "Today, a gram is sold for anywhere between Rs70 and Rs800. It might go up to anywhere between Rs2,000 and Rs4,000."

"From now on, the ease of availability will reduce, but there is a possibility of bigger players coming into the picture due to the risk and cost involved," added the officer. As per reports, over 1.5 lakh people are addicted to M-Cat in the city and over a thousand peddlers are involved in its sale and storage.

ANC DCP Namdeo Chavan said, "We have caught over 100 M-Cat offenders in the last three months. As the product was not under the NDPS Act then, we have been booking them under IPC section 328 (arrest of a person for causing hurt by means of poison with intent to committing an offence), which is a bailable offence. We had apprehended several mephedrone peddlers in Andheri, Malad, Mahim, Worli, Juhu and Pydhonie, with the drug haul ranging between 10 and 100 grams." He added that although the law cannot be applied in retrospect, there will be a crackdown on previous offenders once again.

"Once the price increases, children will no longer be able to afford it. This will ensure lesser addicts. Currently, children as small as 12, with several of them being girls, are addicted to it," said Suhas Gokhale, senior inspector of Azad Maidan Unit of Anti Narcotics.

The agencies, however, worry that while M-Cat will lose its label as the most sought-after street drug, it will lead to a new street drug. An officer said, "The chemicals that are used to manufacture these narcotics are controlled substances. However, they are easily available in the market. We won't be surprised if another drug with a different chemical composition takes M-Cat's place."

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