About 3MMC

What is 3MMC?

3MMC (also called 'Poes' or '3m') is usually sold as a crystalline white powder. Finally, 3MMC has been around since 2012 already on the market. This is very short and is therefore also called an NPS. On the other hand, about this NPS is very little known. Often there is still little or no research has been done. So there is also little knowledge about 3MMC.

3MMC is very similar to its big brother 4-MMC ('Mephedrone' or 'Meow'). That is not to say that the effects and risks are the same. In 2012, 4-MMC was banned and 3MMC was sold as an alternative. 

How many people use 3MMC in the Netherlands?

It has not (yet) been investigated how many people in the Netherlands use 3-MMC. However, there are signs that use is increasing and poisoning is occurring more often. It is striking that the signals of increasing use often come from the same regions. This suggests that use is less widespread throughout the Netherlands and that users often come from the same places.

The Large Nightlife Survey 2020 shows that there are clear signs of an increase in the use of 3MMC. In 2020, 8.9% of the surveyed nightclubbers indicated that they had used 3-MMC in the past year. The lifetime usage (11%) was close to that, which is an indication that most users have recently used 3MMC for the first time. Information from other Trimbos studies also tentatively points to an increase in the use of 3MMC.

Operation of 3MMC

Its effects can be somewhat similar to those of MDMA and cocaine. Users feel alert, happy and subsequently feel no fatigue. They often need to connect with others. Finally, they also experience more self-confidence and sometimes more sex drive.

Risks of 3MMC

No studies have yet been done on the risks of 3MMC in humans. But it is clear that high doses and combination use with other drugs or alcohol increase the risks. Users of this drug are therefore their own guinea pigs.

Some users also indicate that the use can give a severe hangover: a tired feeling due to not sleeping and not eating enough/not eating.  

Addiction

Finally, you can become addicted to 3-MMC. It is suspected that 3MMC is more addictive than other drugs. This is probably because users experience a strong 'craving' during use. A craving is a strong urge to use or use more. 

Legislation

At the moment, 3-MMC is not yet banned. 3MMC currently falls under the Commodities Act. However, the government is working on a law that will ban groups of NPS at once. 3-MMC and a lot of other NPS would be banned with that.

The information provided is therefore not intended as advice and can therefore not be assessed as such. However, 3MMC is not suitable for human consumption and therefore 3-MMC may only be used for research purposes only.