5,6‐Methylenedioxy‐2‐aminoindane: from laboratory curiosity to ‘legal high’

The fully synthetic ‘legal high’ 5,6‐methylenedioxy‐2‐aminoindane (MDAI) is an analogue of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Although developed in the 1990s, it was not widely abused until 2010. However, mephedrone was banned in the UK in April 2010, and almost immediately, MDAI was widely advertised as a legal alternative. This paper provides both an overview of the current state of knowledge of MDAI and a critical analysis of online available information relating to its psychoactive effects, adverse reactions and use in combination with other drugs.

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