More than 140 individual synthetic cathinones have been identified as illicit drugs, so users can never be certain about a substance from its street name alone. Synthetic cathinones are synthetic derivatives of a stimulant found in the khat plant, a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. However, the potency and effects are different, and can lead to trouble.
Revellers may be using the drug on purpose as a substitute for these, or may mistakenly think it’s MDMA. The effects of monkey dust are similar to other stimulants such as ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine.
This is a slang name for the drug MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone), as well as other members of the chemical class known as “synthetic cathinones”, or “bath salts”. Recent media reports have suggested a rise in a dangerous new party drug known as “monkey dust”.
