Two die of legal drug overdose
Two young men in Linköping in south-east Sweden have died after overdosing on the psychoactive drug methedrone, a substance that is not yet illegal in Sweden and can be bought on the internet, local news website Corren.se reports.
The results of a post mortem examination were finalised last week following the deaths of the two young men during the summer.
"We have classified the deaths as methedrone poisoning," said Arne Eklund, acting manager at the National Board of Forensic Medicine's Linköping branch.
Police in the city are frustrated at the legal status of the drug. Having recently seized a large quantity of the drug, they may have no alternative but to return it to its owner.
"It's a nightmare," Chief Inspector Magnus Råsten told Corren.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs is currently in the process of preparing a draft proposal with the aim of classifying the drug as a narcotic. The government is expected to approve the proposal by the end of the year.
According to the Swedish National Institute of Public Health, methedrone, or bk-PMMA, is a new substance that has become more widely available in 2009.
The institute said the substance brings on a euphoric rush in users and could be viewed as a substitute for the related drug mephedrone, which was classified as a narcotic in May of this year.
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The results of a post mortem examination were finalised last week following the deaths of the two young men during the summer.
"We have classified the deaths as methedrone poisoning," said Arne Eklund, acting manager at the National Board of Forensic Medicine's Linköping branch.
Police in the city are frustrated at the legal status of the drug. Having recently seized a large quantity of the drug, they may have no alternative but to return it to its owner.
"It's a nightmare," Chief Inspector Magnus Råsten told Corren.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs is currently in the process of preparing a draft proposal with the aim of classifying the drug as a narcotic. The government is expected to approve the proposal by the end of the year.
According to the Swedish National Institute of Public Health, methedrone, or bk-PMMA, is a new substance that has become more widely available in 2009.
The institute said the substance brings on a euphoric rush in users and could be viewed as a substitute for the related drug mephedrone, which was classified as a narcotic in May of this year.
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