Teenager dies of 'net drug' overdose
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 15 Dec, 2008 CET.
Updated: Mon 15 Dec 2008 17:32 CET
An 18-year-old girl has died in Stockholm after overdosing on mephedrone, a drug that until now has been freely available for purchase on the internet.
After the girl's death at Karolinska University Hospital on Sunday afternoon, Swedish authorities took immediate steps to ban the drug, with the handling of mephedrone classified as a criminal offence as of Monday, December 15th.
The 18-year-old and some friends took the substance in combination with cannabis on Friday night. An ambulance was soon called to Bandhagen in south Stockholm after the girl went into convulsions and turned blue in the face, Svenska Dagbladet reports.
The dangerous stimulant can attack vital organs and is often likened to a cross between cocaine and ecstasy. As it smells of seafood, the substance is referred to by users in Sweden as 'krabba' (crab).
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After the girl's death at Karolinska University Hospital on Sunday afternoon, Swedish authorities took immediate steps to ban the drug, with the handling of mephedrone classified as a criminal offence as of Monday, December 15th.
The 18-year-old and some friends took the substance in combination with cannabis on Friday night. An ambulance was soon called to Bandhagen in south Stockholm after the girl went into convulsions and turned blue in the face, Svenska Dagbladet reports.
The dangerous stimulant can attack vital organs and is often likened to a cross between cocaine and ecstasy. As it smells of seafood, the substance is referred to by users in Sweden as 'krabba' (crab).
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