The Weekend Herald's story on the crazily loose distribution of new party pill substances is alarming but, it appears to me, valid. What I can find on the substance reckoned to be in the Neuro Blast pills being sold by the London Underground company -- a chemical called Diphenyl Prolinol -- suggests to me that their sale and the unsupervised "trial" of (possibly) something else by the same company is grossly irresponsible.
The police interest is in demonstrating that Diphenyl Prolinol can be considered an analogue of Pipradrol, which was first synthesised in the 1950s for use in treating obesity (and is still rarely used to treat senile dementia) and was added as a prescription drug by Medsafe in February, as part of harmonisation with Australian schedules, and is thus illegal to sell over the counter.
But its possible prescription status isn't really the issue here. The following are excerpts from a thread on Blue Light discussing Diphenyl Prolinol under the name diphenyl-2-pyrrolidinyl-methanol.
I have tried this one a while ago. hated every minute of it and wanted it to just stop. It was very much like taking a hell of a lot of Ritalin …
Well, I'm in search of a theory to explain observed facts then: D2PM seems to be capable of bringing on dopamine psychosis faster than most other dopaminergic substances I've researched …
I'm quite certain the stuff is capable of causing psychosis with stunning rapidity, given high + frequent + extended dosing (a combined situation that most will never encounter, but worthy of note anyway) …
OK, so for those DUMB enough (yes) to try & get this entertainment value from D2PM, here's a brief guideline: First off, NEVER have more than a gram around if you're gonna do this... unless the idea of being in a straitjacket & padded room for a long time appeals to you. Better yet, limit your easy access to 1/2 gram …
(C) You must obey once the DPH is in control, as you'll have no other choice. I mean it pretty literally, give up immediately and accept the fact you're gonna use until it's gone. Otherwise you will be "door-matted" by this drug, whipped into chemical defeat, in a state of amazement and humility. Not a pleasant form of ego-loss, I must say. And finally, (D) if you feel yourself going into dopamine psychosis (pretty easy to tell), IMMEDIATELY toss what you have left down the toilet. Or you will go straight into psychosis & stay in for as long as 2+ days/nights. If it happens, it will most likely be toward the end of the gram, or ~48 hours rolling, whichever comes first …
Enjoy, kiddies . Better yet, take the above as a warning and find something more enjoyable to use in the traditional sense. You probably won't die, but you had better like EXTREME thrill-seeking to attempt the above. Now that my memories are distant it seems it was almost fun, but the subsequent crash (without psychosis) was sheer HELL that lasted the better part of a week …
I way overdid it the other day (a dose of 100mg to 150mg) and didn't notice ANY peripheral side effects. I did have a gurgling stomach all night and sweated a lot, but otherwise I felt great physically. Mentally however, I had severe anxiety and was sloppy and stupid like I was drunk. At one point I had a psychotic break and I'm still recovering from the paranoia.
The Wikipedia entry for Diphenyl Prolinol is scarcely more encouraging:
Precautions to take might include limiting access and watching closely for symptoms of addiction, such as loss of control over dosage or difficulty stopping use once it has started.
Are we getting the picture here? This is about the worst profile for a legally available recreational stimulant I can imagine.
My view remains similar to that of Matt Bowden: you're not going to stop people taking recreational stimulants by simply making them illegal -- we know that. And, rather than letting cowboys like these London Underground idiots run so-called "trials" with dangerous chemicals, it might just be better to swallow hard and pursue a proper approval process for chemicals that have no therapeutic value apart from enhancing a night out.
Anyway, on another note entirely: I wasn't sure about 'It's a Better Way With Labour', Chris Knox's theme tune for the 2008 Labour campaign, the first time I heard it. Then I listened to it again and now I can't get the damn thing out of my head. It really is very catchy indeed. I think it's going to work for them.
And, having dwelt on the scuffling and screaming to the left of Labour during the party conference, it seems only fair to note Michael Cullen's rollicking speech on social justice at the same conference. If you want to know the key messages for 08, they're all in there. I gather the delegates emerged fizzing from that session.