Fighting like M-Cats and dogs: Users’ accounts of the links between mephedrone use and violence

There is a growing belief among medical practitioners and researchers that mephedrone use and violence are in some way connected. However, there has been little research conducted on either the association or the causal connection between mephedrone use and violence. Drawing upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 mephedrone users and open-ended questions from a questionnaire survey of 67 mephedrone users, the paper explores the relationship between mephedrone use and violent behaviour as perceived by users. Our research adds to current knowledge by presenting users’ accounts of the connection between mephedrone use and violence, by suggesting ways of applying current discussions on mechanisms-based causality in an empirical setting, and by building on Goldstein’s tripartite framework through the development of frequently occurring sub-categories.