Reports of overdoses of banned designer drug 3-MMC have doubled in the last year, toxicology information centre NVIC has said.

The centre fielded a total of 200 calls at an average of four a week from healthcare providers in 2023, double the number of 2022.

3-MMC, also known as meow meow, has become a popular party drug in recent years and was banned in 2021. The ban resulted in a short-lived drop in use but it has since soared.

A third of youngsters between 16 and 35 have used the drug in the last year, figures from addiction information institute Trimbos have shown . Younger children too, are discovering the drug, the Trimbos found.

Too frequent top-ups of 3-MMC can cause neurological problems such as hallucinations, seizures, and psychosis and cardiovascular incidents such as cardiac arrests, experts warn.

Toxicologist and head of the NVIC Dylan de Lange said the calls are now coming in from across the country instead of mainly from the eastern provinces. “We have the impression there is a group that is using the drug in greater amounts and for longer. It seems to be more addictive than other designer drugs,” he told broadcaster NOS.

In many cases an intoxication leads to hospitalisation. In some cases, users ended up with severe organ damage and some of them died, De Lange said.

The centre also had more reports of people overdosing on ketamine and benzodiazepines.