What is “3-MMC”, this popular drug touted as the new cheapest cocaine?

3-MMC, a number and three letters to designate this drug which, no pun intended, is spreading like wildfire. It resembles cocaine, but belongs, like MDMA and methamphetamine, to the category of synthetic drugs. More precisely, belongs to the family of synthetic cathinones. Produced in China and India, but also in laboratories in the Netherlands, 3-MMC is nothing new. Better known at the beginning in the “Chemsex” evenings of the gay community, where the consumption of drugs participates in sexual relations, it has experienced a resurgence of popularity in all circles for some years.

“3-MMC”: like cocaine, but at a lower price

According to a report by the EMCDDA (the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction), published in March 2022, 3.3 tonnes of synthetic cathinones were seized in the European Union in 2020, compared to 750 kg the previous year. “This increase is due at least in part to 3-MMC seizures, which accounted for a quarter of synthetic cathinone seizures in 2020,” the Observatory points out.

Several deaths related to 3-MMC consumption

Interviewed by Actu.frThis was explained by the French Observatory on Drugs and Addiction Tendencies (OFDT). “the effects sought from the consumption of 3-MMC are generally stimulation, euphoria and increased libido”. In other words, reactions similar to those caused by cocaine, for example. Yes, but at a lower cost, ie 30 or 40 euros per gram of 3-MMC compared to about 60 euros per gram of cocaine. However, while 3-MMC is cheaper, its effects are just as dangerous. As such, the EMCDDA has recorded at least 6 deaths linked to the use of this synthetic drug between 2013 and 2021 in France. Most recently, on September 5, 2022, we learned of the death of a man following the use of 3-MMC.

Cover image: Unsplash / Adrien Olichon