Aberdeen pubs ban mephedrone drug

Legal high drug mephedrone has been banned in Aberdeen pubs and clubs.

Local trade body Unight has said anyone caught under the influence or in possession of the drug, also known as MCAT, will be banned from the premises they were trying to enter.

There has been rising concern about the drug, which is sold as plant food, since it became widely used among clubbers last year.

Mephedrone induces similar effects as cocaine and ecstasy but is cheaper to buy at around £10 to £15 a gram in powder, capsule or liquid form.

"There has been a lot of concern about this drug across the country, even though it is legal," said Unight Aberdeen chairman Mark Donlevy.

"This ban sends a clear message to our patrons that we will not tolerate drugs of any kind and anyone caught with mephedrone will face a ban not just from one establishment, but all of them."

The Government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will report on the harm caused by the drug in March and could lead to an official crackdown on the drug.

Unight works together with 23 Aberdeen night venues, Grampian Police and Safer Aberdeen, all of which support the ban.