A so-called legal high used as an alternative to ketamine will be the first drug to be banned under new government powers. Methoxetamine, or mexxy, will be made illegal for up to 12 months while the government's drugs advisers decide whether it should be permanently controlled. It follows concerns that two people whose bodies were found in February may have taken some form of the drug after buying it over the internet. Anyone caught making, supplying or importing the drug will face up to 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine.