Why Criminalisation Doesn’t Work: The Case of Monkey Dust (MDPV)

Introduction

If you’ve ever heard the term monkey dust, you probably associate it with shocking news stories of people running naked through traffic, climbing buildings, or exhibiting extreme paranoia and violence. Officially known as methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), this synthetic stimulant has gained a reputation for turning people into zombies.

The standard response? Criminalisation. Arrest the users, lock them up, and hope the problem goes away. But here’s the reality: criminalising drug use doesn’t stop people from taking drugs. It doesn’t address why people use in the first place, and it certainly doesn’t provide them with the support they need to recover.

So why do we keep using the same failing approach? And what would actually work instead? Let’s break it down.

1. Criminalisation Doesn’t Stop People from Using

The thinking behind criminalisation is simple: if people know they’ll be arrested for using a drug, they won’t take it. Sounds logical, right? Except that’s not how addiction works.

MDPV is highly addictive. It causes intense cravings, making users desperate to take more, even when they know the risks. Criminal records, arrests, even prison time—none of these things stop addiction. Instead, they push drug use further underground, where it becomes even more dangerous.

Take a look at Stoke-on-Trent, one of the UK’s hotspots for monkey dust use. Over the last few years, police have cracked down hard on the drug, making countless arrests and disrupting supply chains. And yet, monkey dust use persists. Why? Because enforcement doesn’t address the root causes of why people are using in the first place—homelessness, mental health struggles, trauma, and poverty (Public Health England, 2023).

If we truly want to reduce drug use, we need to stop treating it as a crime and start treating it as a health issue.

2. Criminalisation Makes Drug Use More Dangerous

Making something illegal doesn’t stop people from doing it; it just makes it riskier. When people fear arrest, they avoid seeking medical help, even when they desperately need it.

Imagine someone on MDPV having a full-blown psychotic episode—hallucinating, convinced people are trying to kill them. If they fear being arrested the moment they step into A&E, they might choose to ride it out on the streets instead. That increases the risk of self-harm, accidents, or violent altercations.

Even worse, criminalisation fuels police violence. There have been numerous cases of people experiencing drug-induced psychosis being restrained, tasered, or even killed by police who mistake their behaviour for aggression (Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2021). These deaths could have been avoided if trained medical professionals had been the first point of contact instead of law enforcement.

There’s also the issue of unregulated supply. Because MDPV is illegal, there’s no quality control. Users never know exactly what they’re taking. If we had drug-checking services—where people could test their substances for purity and potency—we could prevent overdoses and accidental poisonings.

Instead, we pretend that banning the drug will stop people from using it. It won’t.

3. Criminalisation Overloads Prisons Without Solving the Problem

You’d think that with all these arrests, drug use in prisons would be low. But that’s not the case—in many UK prisons, synthetic drugs are rampant (Home Office, 2022). Inmates who were arrested for drug use end up in environments where substances like spice and synthetic cathinones are even more accessible.

For many, prison doesn’t rehabilitate—it worsens the cycle of addiction. They leave with:

• A criminal record, making it harder to get a job or housing.

• Untreated addiction, because most prisons don’t offer proper rehab.

• A higher risk of relapse, because they return to the same conditions that led them to use in the first place.

Instead of punishing people for drug use, we should be helping them break the cycle. Countries like Portugal have shown that decriminalisation paired with access to healthcare and housing reduces drug-related deaths, crime, and addiction rates (Gonçalves et al., 2015).

Why are we still stuck on a failed model when there’s clear evidence that a better one exists?

4. What We Should Be Doing Instead

If we truly want to tackle MDPV use, we need to move away from criminalisation and focus on harm reduction, healthcare, and social support.

1. Decriminalisation and Diversion Programmes

Instead of arresting people for drug possession, they should be diverted into health and support services. This means getting them into treatment programmes rather than jail cells.

2. Harm Reduction Services

We need:

• Supervised drug consumption spaces, where users can take substances safely, reducing overdoses.

• Drug-checking services, so users know exactly what they’re taking.

• Peer-led outreach programmes, where people with lived experience of addiction support current users.

3. Stimulant-Specific Treatment Programmes

Most addiction treatment models are designed for opioid users, leaving stimulant users with limited support. We need:

• Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) tailored for stimulant addiction.

• Mental health care for MDPV-induced psychosis.

• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to help with dopamine recovery.

4. Addressing the Root Causes

If we want to reduce drug use long-term, we have to tackle the social issues that drive people to use in the first place. This means:

• Investing in mental health services, so people get support before they turn to drugs.

• Providing stable housing, so people aren’t forced to self-medicate on the streets.

• Creating better economic opportunities, so drug use isn’t seen as the only escape from poverty.

Final Thoughts

Criminalisation doesn’t work. It doesn’t stop drug use. It doesn’t reduce harm. It doesn’t help people recover.

If we really care about reducing MDPV use and supporting affected communities, we need to stop treating it as a crime and start treating it as a health issue. Countries that have taken this approach—investing in harm reduction, decriminalisation, and treatment—have seen real, measurable improvements in drug-related deaths, addiction rates, and public health outcomes.

The UK has a choice. We can continue pouring money into failing enforcement strategies, or we can follow the evidence and invest in solutions that actually work.

Which will it be?

References

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (2021). MDPV and Synthetic Cathinones: Updated Risk Assessment. UK Government.

Gonçalves, R., Lourenço, A., & Silva, S. N. (2015). A social cost perspective in the wake of the Portuguese strategy for the fight against drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(2), 199-209.

Home Office (2022). Drug Use and Synthetic Substances in UK Prisons. UK Government.

Public Health England (2023). MDPV and Synthetic Cathinones: Public Health Report. UK Government.