science

MEAI

MEAI is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MEAI rather than just read about it. In short: MEAI, also known as 5-methoxy-2-aminoindane (5-MeO-AI) and by its developmental code name CMND-100, is an entactogen-like psychoactive drug of the 2-aminoindane family. It is a cyclized phenethylamine and is the 2-aminoindane analogue of 3-methoxyamphetamine.

Key takeaways

MEAI belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MEAI to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MEAI from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MEAI, also known as 5-methoxy-2-aminoindane (5-MeO-AI) and by its developmental code name CMND-100, is an entactogen-like psychoactive drug of the 2-aminoindane family. It is a cyclized phenethylamine and is the 2-aminoindane analogue of 3-methoxyamphetamine. The drug acts as a serotonin–norepinephrine releasing agent (SNRA) or as a modestly selective serotonin releasing agent (SSRA), with about 6-fold preference for induction of serotonin over norepinephrine release. MEAI has been encountered as a novel designer recreational drug. It is also under development for potential medical use in the treatment of alcoholism, cocaine use disorder, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.

Use and effects When used recreationally, MEAI is reported to produce mild to moderate psychoactive effects, including stimulation and euphoria. Its dose is said to be 100 to 250 mg orally and 30 to 60 mg intranasally. The drug is sometimes used as an alcohol substitute.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics MEAI acts as a monoamine releasing agent (MRA). It is a modestly selective serotonin releasing agent (SSRA), with 6-fold preference for induction of serotonin release over norepinephrine release and 20-fold preference for induction of serotonin release over dopamine release. In addition to inducing monoamine neurotransmitter release, MEAI has moderate affinity for the α2-adrenergic receptor. Based on these findings, MEAI might produce MDMA-like entactogenic and sympathomimetic effects but may be expected to have reduced misuse liability in comparison.

Chemistry MEAI, also known as 5-methoxy-2-aminoindane, is a substituted 2-aminoindane derivative. It is a cyclized phenethylamine and is the 2-aminoindane analogue of the amphetamine 3-methoxyamphetamine.

History MEAI appears to have been first synthesized in 1956. The 2-aminoindane family of compounds was perhaps first chemically described in 1980. MEAI's molecular structure was first mentioned implicitly in a markush structure schema appearing in a patent from 1998. It was later described by David Nutt and colleagues as a potential preventative against binge drinking in the mid-2010s and thereafter. The drug also emerged as a novel designer recreational drug by the mid-2010s.

Alcohol substitute MEAI was an early candidate of alcohol replacement drugs that came to market during a late-2010s movement to replace alcohol with less-toxic alternatives advocated by British psychopharmacologist David Nutt and others. In an act of gonzo journalism, Michael Slezak writing for New Scientist, tried and reported on his experience with MEAI following an interview. Ezekiel Golan is said to have developed MEAI and originally intended for it to be sold as a legal high, but changed his mind, indicating plans to work with Nutt and his company DrugScience. The goal was to develop MEAI further as a "binge behaviour regulator" and "alcoholic beverage substitute". In 2018, a company called Diet Alcohol Corporation of the Americas (DACOA) began openly marketing an MEAI-based drink called "Pace" for sale in the United States and Canada. Pace was described as a 50 mL bottle containing 160 mg of MEAI in mineral water. Distribution halted after Health Canada released a warning indicating the substance was considered illegal to market for consumption in Canada due to structural similarity to amphetamine. After this, Golan revealed himself to be the developer of Pace. He claimed that the MEAI featured in Pace was "manufactured in India" and "bottled in Delaware". Health Canada provided a statement to CBC News stating "Pace is an illegal and unauthorized product in Canada."

Research MEAI, under the developmental code name CMND-100, is under development by Clearmind Medicine for the treatment of alcoholism, cocaine use disorder, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. As of February 2026, it is in phase 1/2 clinical trials for treatment of alcoholism and is in the preclinical stage of development for all other indications.

See also Substituted 2-aminoindane Cyclized phenethylamine List of investigational hallucinogens and entactogens

References

External links 5-MeO-AI (MEAI) - Isomer Design

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MEAI

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MEAI claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MEAI before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MEAI ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MEAI

In research: MEAI appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MEAI in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MEAI is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2-Aminoindanes, Designer drugs, Drugs not assigned an ATC code, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MEAI outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MEAI in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MEAI means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MEAI out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MEAI in simple terms?

Why does MEAI matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MEAI?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MEAI.