Alpha – PVP (A-PVP)

Alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone – also known as α-PVP, alpha PVP (A-PVP), gravel, flakka or niff – is one of a number of recreational drugs in the ‘bath salts’ (or cathinones ) family, so called because they resemble bath salts and because they have sometimes been sold disguised as them.

Originally synthesised in the 1960s, alpha-PVP usually comes in a crystal form that can be smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed. The high can last for three to five hours, but many users report it can be subtle at first and slow to come on. This has caused some to ‘re-dose’ early and use more than they intended – with unpleasant