IN a drug-fuelled frenzy, Shannon Cowan picked up her phone, rang the police and said: “I can’t live like this any more.”
Begging them to come and take her three-year-old son into care, the young mum then ran into the woods to kill herself. But this wasn’t the result of a notoriously lethal Class A drug like crack – it was monkey dust. And it had destroyed Shannon’s life in just a few short months.
The synthetic stimulant – also known as cannibal or zombie dust, which makes users wildly hallucinate – is currently ravaging the UK, with a single hit costing just £2.
Shannon, 29, was living near Stoke-on-Trent – the UK city said to be most blighted by its effects – when she first became addicted.
She says that despite the substance only being a Class B drug, she believes monkey dust is more addictive than cocaine or heroin.
“It ruined my whole life,” said Shannon, who would smash up strangers’ cars and hallucinate that her dead family members had returned while high.
“Even though I’m clean and sober now, I’m still paying the price for it.”
After growing up surrounded by addiction and domestic abuse, Shannon began dabbling in drugs aged 14.
She went on to have three children, two of whom were being cared for by relatives when she was introduced to monkey dust by her dealer in February 2024.
By that point, she had tried cannabis, cocaine, and occasionally crack – a result, she says, of the unresolved trauma of her difficult childhood – and never anticipated that monkey dust would prove so dangerous.
She said: “For those first few days, I thought: ‘This is amazing.’ It’s an instant high, it lasts seconds to a couple of minutes – then it starts dying down.
“After a few hours of not having any, your paranoia sets in.
“Your heart rate goes up and you get the sweats, and you feel like you need more to feel good again.
“The hit from monkey dust is scary because it’s a lot stronger than the hit from crack.”
Monkey dust is also much cheaper, and Shannon explains a £10 bag would last for the night. In comparison, she estimates, the same hit from crack costs £40.
Shannon says it was pushed by dealers, who actively offered free samples to get people hooked. And, after that first night, she was hopelessly addicted.
I watched my friends turn into people that I don’t even know any more
Within weeks, fellow addicts and dealers would turn up at her house to both feed – and feed off – her addiction. They would throw stones at the windows, or stand outside smoking a bong and asking her to come join them.
On many occasions, they’d wheedle their way inside then make themselves at home for days on end, leaving her young son in tears.
“Obviously, while you’re taking a psychoactive drug, it messes with your head,” she said.
“Dealers have control over people like me who are in addiction through trauma.”
Over the coming months, Shannon would go on binges where she’d be using for days on end, funding her habit with an OnlyFans account.
At the height of her addiction, she was often gripped by aggression – on one occasion even throwing a brick through someone’s car, which was never reported to police.
“I was seeing people sat in cars holding guns at me. I was seeing people that weren’t even there,” said Shannon, who relied on a family friend to help with her youngest son while she descended into addiction.
“I had people around me talking about seeing dead people, seeing my dead cousin outside my house.”
Her closest friends, who were similarly addicted, also became aggressive and violent as they lost touch with reality.
“I watched my friends turn into people that I don’t even know any more,” she said.
Monkey dust in the UK
“MONKEY dust” is a colloquial term in the UK for synthetic cathinones, particularly MDPHP (3’,4’-Methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone).
These substances are synthetic stimulants chemically related to cathinone, a compound found in the khat plant.
They are often found in crystal or powder form and can be ingested by snorting, swallowing, or injecting.
The composition of monkey dust can vary, but it typically includes synthetic cathinones like MDPHP.
These compounds are designed to mimic the effects of natural stimulants but often have unpredictable and potent effects.
As of now, specific statistics on the number of monkey dust users in the UK are not readily available. However, regions like Stoke-on-Trent have reported significant issues with its use.
In the UK, synthetic cathinones, including those referred to as monkey dust, are classified as Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This classification makes it illegal to possess, distribute, or manufacture these substances.
Health effects of monkey dust use can be severe and include: cardiovascular issues, neurological effects, behavioural changes, and the potential of addiction.
Then, in mid-December 2024, came Shannon’s rock bottom.
“I’d smoked three bongs and went into a frenzy,” she said.
“I was already in a really bad place mentally, so I called the police. I gave them my address and said: ‘You need to come and get my son, I’m leaving so he’s going to be on his own.’
“I stood back on the street and waited for the police, then I ran down to the woods.”
Shannon sat in the dark and planned to take her own life, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Instead, she says she went to a friend’s house – and found four other addicts there. Dangerously paranoid, they decided she was working with the police, she says, and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal in which they threatened her with hammers.
A few hours later, Shannon managed to make her escape and fled into the town centre.
“That’s when the hallucinations kicked in, I was seeing people standing outside the town hall,” Shannon said.
Eventually, she made her way to her shocked dad’s house and confessed that she was an addict.
Over the next few weeks, Shannon remained in contact with social services about her son and tried to go cold turkey, before falling off the wagon that New Year’s Eve.
But that night, she alleges she witnessed a man also under the influence of monkey dust try to rape a woman.
The police were called and Shannon was among those to give statements – and realised she would never touch the drug again.
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
“That was the final straw,” she said. “I haven’t got the heart to be around this stuff – it’s dark.
“I cut the monkey dust off that next day.”
With the support of her family, Shannon went to a rehab facility, and has since continued to work with addiction professionals.
She has also cut off contact with her old drug-using friends and acquaintances.
“Whilst I was trying to get away from the drug, I had my windows smashed,” she explained.
“A friend’s car was smashed up on my driveway too – people didn’t like that I didn’t want to be involved with it anymore.”
Clean of all drugs for 14 months, Shannon says she is now allowed contact with her youngest son, who is currently in foster care, and is working towards him possibly returning home, saying social services have given her a “fair chance”.
She is also campaigning to raise awareness and encourage the Government to increase the substance’s classification to A, as well as sharing her story on social media to help other addicts.
She explained: “It’s very scary because once you first take it, that hit is so strong, when you’re trying to get off it it feels impossible.”
But she says she is proof it can be done, and due to her successful ongoing recovery she has been asked to speak to other addicts in her local area.
Meanwhile, she is still trying to come to terms with what she endured.
“Some nights I’ll be lying in bed and the wind will be blowing outside and I will look outside just to make sure no one’s in the garden,” she said.
“I’m still very on edge… I’m getting better, but I’ll never make a new friend again. I won’t ever trust anyone.”
Staffordshire Police did not wish to comment when contacted by The Sun.
We have also approached Staffordshire County Council.
For Shannon’s petition click here.
Previous statement from Staffordshire Police on monkey dust
Staffordshire Police did not wish to comment further when approached by The Sun, but did provide a response to our coverage of the monkey dust issues in Stoke in February last year.
The force has created its own task force to tackle the drug epidemic.
A spokesperson said: “We’re continuing to carry out proactive work to target the production and supply of monkey dust in our neighbourhoods.”
They added: “Enforcement on its own is not enough to deal with the problem, so that’s why we’re working with our partners in the community including local authorities, health, charities and mental health organisations to make sure that, as well as tackling the dealers, we are helping the often-vulnerable individuals that fall victim to addiction, referring users to pathways to support and treatment and identify diversionary activity.
“Our ongoing response to monkey dust in the city, called Op Rivent, has seen local officers preventing and protecting people from accessing monkey dust, as well as disrupting and pursuing those profiting from the sale of the substance in our communities. It was developed to identify possible shared solutions to reduce the risk posed by monkey dust to its users and wider public.”
Cops have claimed their clampdown on monkey dust has hit dealers.
A spokesman said: “Incidents involving monkey dust in Stoke-on-Trent are currently at the lowest volumes since we launched our dedicated operation to target supply and support those affected by addiction.
“Reports have almost halved between July 2024 and December 2024, from 403 incidents to 203. Figures during this period have continued to decrease month-on-month other than a small increase in November 2024.”