In part, it seems that 3-MMC can be used as a legal substitute for mephedrone, but it is not. According to the assessment of the Expert Committee, 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC – mephedrone pharmacology) is a synthetic cathinone and a positional isomer of the internationally controlled 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC, mephedrone, Schedule II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances).
3-MMC was critically reviewed in 2016, but it was decided to request another critical review, to be considered at a subsequent meeting, pending the availability of more information. Some patent applications including the use of 3-MMC were found but no current clinical trials were identified on therapeutic use of 3-MMC (3mmc wiki). 3-MMC also has no recognised human or veterinary medical use in the Union.
For the last two years most countries have been using 3-MMC and don’t even know it, in the UK they use the substance even more as a percentage. The thing is, it’s just that British ravers don’t really know what they’re taking. It was one of the most popular drugs at English summer festivals last year, and studies have shown that 45 percent of substances sold as “MDMA” actually contained cathinones. One of the most common cathinones was 3-MMC.
The Loop published a warning about it at the Lost Village Festival, where it was mistakenly sold as ecstasy in the form of Louis Vuitton pills. “3-MMC is a cathinone”, they said. It’s a substance similar to mephedrone with stimulants and euphoric effects”. The reason 3-MMC was in all powders last year was because of Brexit-related trucking problems and Covid-19 blockages that disrupted traditional MDMA supplies. Demand for MDMA exceeded supply, and cathinones masquerading as ecstasy filled the gap.
The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published a study this year revealing a marked increase in the supply of cathinone powders in Europe. Originally, the vast majority of cathinones were produced in China, but they were banned several years ago. After they were tightly controlled in China, they are now apparently produced in India and imported to Europe on an industrial scale. This information was reported this year by the EMCDDA. At the moment there are small domestic operations in Europe to take over the 3-MMC production sites.
The emergence of 3-MMC on the drug market coincided with the control of mephedrone (also known as 4-MMC, if you’re not already confused – mephedrone drug price) in Europe after the latter rapidly spread between 2009 and 2010, when it was manufactured, distributed and sold openly as a “legal stimulant“, says Dr. Ana Gallegos of the EMCDDA. At least in part, 3-MMC was used as a legal replacement for mephedrone.
While 3-MMC is not as dangerous as heroin, for example, where there are still serious overdose risks between the dose that gives you the desired effect and the dose that will kill you, just a hamster’s eyelash away (3-mmc deaths). The same recommendations for harm reduction for substances like mephedrone or MDMA can be applied to 3-MMC. So, start small, go slowly. Don’t take a second dose for at least 90 minutes until you feel the full effect of the first dose.
While 3-MMC is not as dangerous as heroin, for example, where there are still serious overdose risks between the dose that gives you the desired effect and the dose that will kill you, just a hamster’s eyelash away. The same recommendations for harm reduction for substances like mephedrone or MDMA can be applied to 3-MMC. So, start small, go slowly. Don’t take a second dose for at least 90 minutes until you feel the full effect of the first dose.
3-MMC has become part of the “kill the mole” game between lawmakers and underground chemists (3-mmc side effects)
According to many research groups, if you overdose, you may end up suffering from hyperstimulation, anxiety, insomnia, and possibly even psychosis. We suggest that you seek medical help if you or your companions have a significantly elevated temperature, muscle rigidity, unresponsiveness, agitation, or seizures.
When is the best time to call an ambulance?
Based on the information available, the clinical signs of 3-MMC poisoning are similar to those of other synthetic cathinones such as mephedrone. Side effects from 3-MMC overdose may include neurological (hallucinations, seizures, agitation, anxiety, psychosis), cardiovascular (such as hypertension, chest pain, cardiac arrest) and respiratory clinical manifestations.
Summary
Many EU countries have just banned 3-MMC, so this has become part of the “kill the mole” game between lawmakers and underground chemists. One substance is banned, another appears in its place, like an unelected prime minister of conservatives. Yesterday’s 4-MMC is today’s 3-MMC, and tomorrow it will be different. It’s all a futile effort. According to the UN, as of mid-June 2022, 41 European countries have reported 183 unique synthetic cathinones.
We live in about the twenty-fifth generation and all the “legal highs” are happening right now. But the process is still going on, like the merry-go-round of drug policy. Until it is regulated, each new incarnation of cathinones that spits out increases the harm to users.