Shabu replacement not yet on dangerous drug list

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is concerned that a drug being peddled by pushers as shabu replacement is not yet included in the list of dangerous drugs.
PDEA Director General Jose Gutierrez said that that mephentermine looks the same as and has similar effects to methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu.
Gutierrez also pointed out that mephentermine is cheaper than shabu.
 However, the PDEA chief expressed concerns that mephentermine is still not on the list of dangerous drugs under Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“PDEA had already lobbied and sought proper representations with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to include mephentermine in the list of dangerous substances,” Gutierrez said.
He said there is a need to put mephentermine on the list because arrested offenders using the drug have gone scot-free.
He cited that pushers have been peddling mephentermine also to mislead authorities into thinking that illegal drugs purchased from them during buy-bust operations were indeed shabu.
The PDEA chief explained that large doses of mephentermine may affect the brain’s central nervous system and can increase blood pressure and cardiac output.
Although the central stimulant effects of the drug are much less than those of amphetamine, its use may lead to amphetamine-type dependence, he added.