Current Drug Trends

Current Drug Trends
John W. Dail, CSAC
Coastal Horizons Center, Inc.
Common Occurrences with Drug
Trends
• Increasing Potency
• Easy Access
• Innovative Marketing
What is this used in?
What is this?
What do all three produce?
Lean or Dirty Sprite
Lean or Dirty Sprite
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A slang term for a recreational drug popular in
the hip hop community in the southern United
States, originating in Houston, Texas. Its main
ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup
containing codeine and promethazine. Cough
syrup is typically mixed with ingredients such as
Sprite or Mountain Dew. The purplish hue of
Lean comes from dyes in cough syrup.
There are numerous slang terms for Lean
including Purple Drank, Sizzurp, Syrup, Drank,
Barre, Purple Jelly, Texas Tea, and Tsikuni.
Effects of Lean
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Constricted pupils that do not respond well to light
Slow, slurred speech
Uncontrolled eye movement
Droopy eyes
Slowed heart rate
Drowsiness
Loss of coordination
Constipation
Dental problems
Addiction
If an overdose of codeine when using Lean, it could result in
death. If Lean used with alcohol or other drugs, the combination
can also contribute to death.
A New Designer Drug
Benzo Fury-stimulant and hallucinogen
• Benzo Fury or 6-APB, is a colorless stimulant, in
powder or pill form and is marketed as a
“research drug”. Benzo Fury is similar to
amphetamines and Ecstasy (MDMA).
Effects of Benzo Fury are alertness, increased
energy, euphoria, feelings of peace, dilated
pupils, tingling feelings, tightening of jaw
muscles, raised body temperature, increased
heart rate, anxiety attacks and
paranoid/confused states.
Marketing of Benzo Fury
• Benzo Fury is sold primarily through websites
claiming to be manufacturers of research
chemicals. One UK website sells Benzo Fury for
10 British Pounds (around $15-16 U.S.
dollars) per pill and shipping to the U.S. is
available. Benzo Fury is unscheduled in the U.S.
and also legal in the United Kingdom.
Another New Designer Drug
MXE, M-Ket, Mexxy or Kmax
MXE or Methoxetamine is a new designer
“research chemical” taken for its
hallucinogenic and dissociative effects. It’s
usually sold as a white powder. Although not
currently scheduled under the U.S. Controlled
Substance Act, MXE is considered to be an
analog of the drug Ketamine. Ketamine is
classified as a “dissociative anesthetic”.
New Designer Drug
Pump It Powder-stimulant and
hallucinogen
• This is another new synthetic drug advertised as
an “enhanced plant vitamin” labeled
“not-intended-for-human-consumption” .
One of the primary ingredients is Geranamine or
Methylhexanamine, which is an amphetaminerelated stimulant and decongestant found
naturally in the geranium plant.
Methylhexanamine hasn’t been widely studied
and isn’t listed as an illegal substance under
U.S. law.
Signs and Symptoms of Pump It
• Signs and symptoms associated with Pump-It
use are consistent with effects seen in stimulant
and hallucinogen drugs: Increased heart rate
and body temperature, dilated pupils, sensory
distortions and psychotic symptoms. The high
lasts 4-12 hours, depending on the dosage
taken. This product can be snorted, injected or
smoked, and the onset of effects may be
delayed which may lead to taking more of the
contents and increasing the chances of negative
effects.
Marketing of the drug Pump It
• Pump-It has been sold at gas stations,
convenience stores, novelty shops and on the
Internet, and appears to be most popular in the
Midwest states. Pump-It is usually packaged in a
500 mg or 1000 mg tin container and costs
around $30 for a 500 mg.
Dragonfly
Bromo Dragonfly, B-Fly, Fly, 2C-B-fly
or Europa
• Dragonfly is a synthetic hallucinogenic that produces
effects similar to LSD or ecstasy. This substance was
originally developed as part of a legitimate medical
research project, but has no legitimate or medical use.
This drug causes long-acting vasoconstriction. This drug
can be a powder, liquid or placed on blotter paper like
LSD. The hallucinogenic effects of this drug are
long-lasting, sometimes lasting up to 3 days.
Effects after orally ingesting the drug can be
delayed as long as 6 hours which may lead to
double dosing and overdose. B-Fly (liquid form) can
be concealed in small dropper bottle products. The good
news is B-Fly, also classified as a form of 2C-B, has just
recently been added to the Controlled Substance Act and
is now illegal in the U.S.
2-CI, India, Smiles
2C-I is replacing Bath Salts as the
hallucinogenic drug of choice.
• The fluffy white powder is usually pressed into
pill form. It produces LSD-like hallucinations and
visual distortions, and MDMA-like empathy. The
onset of effects is around 40 minutes with peak
effects occurring at approximately 2 hours. It can
last up to 8 hours.
• 2C-I can be taken orally in tablet or capsule form,
snorted in its powder form and orally taken in the
form of small squares of blotter paper similar to
LSD ingestion. 2C-I is purchased primarily
through Internet retailers, but it’s also been sold
by street-level dealers. As of July 9th, 2012, 2C-I
is a Schedule I controlled substance under the
Controlled Substance Act, making possession,
distribution and manufacturing illegal.
What is Krokodil?
Desomorphine, Krokodil, Crocodile
• Krokodil is a synthetic heroin product that’s very
popular in Russia that has recently come to the
USA. Due to the poisonous ingredients, addict life
expectancy usually only runs one to three years
once they start on the drug.
• Desomorphine is a synthetic morphine. Krokodil
became a popular replacement for Russian
heroin, which can be made from chemicals like
codeine, iodine, lighter fluid, gasoline and
industrial cleaning oil combined in a process
similar to cooking methamphetamine. The
resulting drug is injected for about a 90-minute
high which is more intense than heroin.
Lemon Drop
Lemon Drop
• Lemon Drop is a homemade hallucinogen
produced by mixing a painter’s solvent
(Naphtha with ammonia, Robitussin Cough
Syrup, Sucrets or Vicks Formula 44).
Lighter fluid can be used to replace
Naphtha. The mixture is heated to extract
the DXM (Dextromethorophan). Lemon
juice or Country Time powder is added and
cooled, which causes the juice/lemonade
and DXM to bond. DXM has been a long
running form of legal high and various
recipes have been published.
Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda
(Anti-Energy Drink)
Anti-Energy Drinks
• Commercial bottlers have now produced
non-codeine based drinks like Sippin
Syrup, Unwind and Mary Jane’s Relaxing
Soda which are sold at convenience stores
and online and are advertised as an
“Extreme Relaxation Beverage.” These
products contain sedating-type
ingredients, such as melatonin, valerian
root extract and kava kava.
Effects of Anti-Energy Drinks
• Effects are similar to alcohol intoxication or cold
medicines. Anti-energy drinks have warning
labels stating “This product may cause
drowsiness … Not recommended more than 2
servings within a 24-hour period” The
manufactures of Sippin Syrup also sell a dessertstyle brownie called 1/2 Baked Brownzz. It
contains the same ingredients as Sippin Syrup.
Lazy Cakes contain Melatonin and have been sold
in convenient stores in N.C. These products are
abused in a manner similar to cough syrup or cold
medicines.
Adderall
Adderall
• On the street Adderall is known as beans,
black beauties, dexies, pep pills, speed,
and uppers. When Adderall is taken by
someone without ADHD or ADD it causes
the user to feel more focused and
attentive. The user may also experience
dizziness, headaches, irregular heartbeat,
hostility, paranoia, or even heart failure or
fatal seizures.
Ritalin
Ritalin
• On the street Ritalin is sold as Vitamin R,
Rit, Kibbles and Bits, and Pineapple. When
Adderall is taken by someone without
ADHD or ADD it creates a stimulant-like
effect. Some demographics prefer to take
the drug by crushing and snorting it.
Effects are dizziness, tremors, severe
headache, insomnia, heart failure, fatal
seizures, and feelings of paranoia. The
drug can have a cocaine-like effect when
snorted, and snorting can also burn the
lining of the nose.
Ketamine
Ketamine, K, Vitamin K, Special K, Jet
• Ketamine appears as either a white/off-
white powder or a liquid, and can be
snorted, injected, or orally ingested.
Ketamine is produced commercially for use
as a veterinary anesthetic in the United
States and is often acquired for use by
theft from veterinary clinics. It is also
smuggled from other sources, such as
legitimate pharmacies in Mexico.
Effects of Ketamine
• Ketamine has hallucinogenic properties: in low
doses, it produces a dream-like state. At higher
doses, it can cause memory loss, learning
impairment, loss of motor control, paralysis, high
blood pressure, and respiratory distress. Very
high doses (~ 1 gram) can be fatal. Long-term
use increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Like many other club drugs, Ketamine is often
believed to be harmless by teenagers, causing an
increase in experimentation with the drug.
What is This?
LSD
• LSD produces hallucinations dissociating
the user from reality. Users often report
having the ability to see and hear things
without stimulus. "Synesthesia" is another
effect, causing the user to hear matter
that is only visibly perceptive such as
hearing colors or associating odor to
audible sounds such as "smelling voices."
Each square piece represents a single dose
which costs $5-7 each.
Spice
Spice
• Spice is sold under many names—K2, fake
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weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks,
and others. They contain dried, shredded
plant material along with manmade
chemicals that cause mind-altering
effects.
For several years, Spice was easy to
purchase in head shops and gas stations
and online. Spice has a high potential for
abuse and no medical benefit.
Spice
• The Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) has made it against the law to sell,
buy, or possess Spice. People who make
Spice products try to avoid these legal
restrictions by using different chemicals in
their mixtures. The DEA continues to
watch the situation and review the need to
update the list of banned chemicals.
How Does Spice Affect the Brain?
• Many Spice users have experience effects
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that are stronger than those of marijuana.
Some users report effects like extreme
anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations.
Chemicals found in Spice attach to the
same nerve cell receptors as THC, the main
mind-altering component of marijuana.
Some of the chemicals found in Spice,
however, attach to those receptors more
strongly, which could lead to a much
stronger and more unpredictable effect.
Other Health Effects of Spice
• People who abused Spice and were taken
to Poison Control Centers report
symptoms like a fast heart rate, vomiting,
agitation, confusion, and hallucinations.
Spice can also raise blood pressure and
cause less blood to flow to the heart. In a
few cases, it has been associated with
heart attacks. People who use Spice a lot
may experience withdrawal and addiction
symptoms.
Salvia
Salvia-hallucinogen
• Salvia (Salvia divinorum) is an herb found
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in southern Mexico and Central and South
America.
The dried leaves of Salvia are smoked as a
joint, inhaled through water pipes, or
vaporized and inhaled.
Effects of Salvia
• People who abuse Salvia generally
experience hallucinations or a loss of
contact with reality. Effects last 1-30
minutes. They include changes in visual
perception, mood and body sensations,
emotional swings, and feelings of
detachment. People also report a very
different perception of reality and trouble
interacting with their surroundings.
Bath Salts
• “Bath salts” are a new family of drugs
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containing one or more manmade
chemicals related to cathinone, an
amphetamine-like stimulant found
naturally in the khat plant.
There have been reports of severe
intoxication and dangerous health effects
from using bath salts. People who abuse
bath salts experience paranoia, agitation,
and hallucinations; some even lose contact
with reality and act violently.
How Do Bath Salts Affect the Brain?
• Chemically, they are similar to
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amphetamines (such as
methamphetamine) and to MDMA
(Ecstasy).
The energizing and often agitating effects
reported in people who have taken bath
salts are similar to the effects of other
drugs like amphetamines and cocaine. A
rush of dopamine causes feelings of joy
and increased activity and can also raise
heart rate and blood pressure.
Hallucinogenic and Stimulant
effects of Bath Salts
• A recent study found that MDPV—the most
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common manmade cathinone found in the blood
and urine of patients admitted to emergency
departments after taking bath salts—raises brain
dopamine in the same way as cocaine but is at
least 10 times stronger.
The hallucinatory effects often reported in users
of bath salts are similar to the effects caused by
other drugs such as MDMA or LSD. These drugs
raise levels of another neurotransmitter,
serotonin, in a way that is similar to MDMA.
Other Health Effects of Bath Salts
• Bath Salts users have needed medical
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attention for heart problems (racing heart,
high blood pressure, and chest pains) and
paranoia, hallucinations, and panic
attacks.
Patients with the syndrome known as
“excited delirium” from taking bath salts
also may have dehydration, breakdown of
skeletal muscle tissue, and kidney failure.
Intoxication has caused death in several
instances.
Crazy Clown
Crazy Clown
• Crazy Clown is a new 4th generation synthetic
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marijuana similar to Spice with some serious and
potentially fatal side effects. It's blamed for
sending people to ER’s with violent reactions and
causing death.
Crazy Clown is smoked or burned in a small bowl
and inhaled. Active chemicals in Crazy Clown are
unknown. Symptoms include: nausea, vomiting,
dry mouth, weakness, cardiac problems,
psychotic episodes, and paralysis.
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Inhaling or Smoking Alcohol
• AWOL (Alcohol without liquid) machines were
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invented in 2004 and are powered by electrical air
compressors. AWOL 2 and AWOL 3 are powered
by electrical oxygen generators" which refer to a
couple of mechanisms used for inhalation.
AWOL is trademarked and gimmicked as an
alcohol "vaporizer" (heat the chemical to vapor)
but is in fact a nebulizer (mixes the chemical with
oxygen into small mist droplets).
AWOL Vaporizers
• Vaporized alcohol also enters the
bloodstream faster and its effects are
more immediate than its liquid
counterparts. If this is true, this will result
in an enhanced euphoric effect, similar to
drinking liquid alcohol on an empty
stomach. Marketers encourage purchasers
to use the machine no more than twice in
a 24-hour period to avoid
overconsumption, as this might be
dangerous.
Dangers of Inhaling Alcohol
• Dr. Harris Stratyner, Regional Clinical Vice
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President of Caron Treatment Centers in
New York says “When you inhale alcohol,
it goes directly into the lungs and
circumnavigates the liver.”
The practice is more likely to lead to
deadly alcohol poisoning than drinking
liquor, he said. Inhaling alcohol vapors can
dry out the nasal passages and mouth,
making a person more susceptible to
infection.
Dangers of Inhaling Alcohol
• NEIL CAPRETTO, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT GATEWAY
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REHABILITATION CENTER IN PENNSYLVANIA states:
BY INHALING ALCOHOL, THE VAPORS BYPASS VITAL ORGAN
FILTERS, SUCH AS THE STOMACH AND LIVER, AND GO STRAIGHT
TO THE BLOODSTREAM.
“IT’S LIKE BINGE-DRINKING IN AN INSTANT,” CAPRETTO SAID.
NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH ALCOHOL IS BEING CONSUMED IS
DANGEROUS. THE BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT OF THE
INDIVIDUAL INHALING THE ALCOHOL COULD REACH ALARMING
LEVELS BECAUSE UNLESS A PERSON KNOWS HOW MUCH
ALCOHOL HE IS VAPORIZING, THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW HOW
MUCH ALCOHOL IS BEING CONSUMED.
ANOTHER DANGER INVOLVED WITH INHALING ALCOHOL
INVOLVES THE LUNGS. THOMAS CAMPBELL, CHAIRMAN OF
EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT WEST PENN ALLEGHENY HEALTH
SYSTEM, SAID ALCOHOL VAPORS CAN INJURE LUNG TISSUE.
Legal Info on Alcohol Inhalation
Machines
Many legislators are promoting legislation to ban
alcohol inhalation machines. Michigan has made
it illegal to possess, sell or use an AWOL
machine, and as of June 2008, 22 other states
have banned the device; Arizona, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Eye Ball Shots or Eyeballing
• "This is an activity that has no upside to
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it," says David Granet, a professor of
ophthalmology at the University of
California, San Diego.
The theory among the students seems to
be that alcohol can be absorbed through
mucous membranes, and the eyeball and
inner side of the eyelids are covered in
mucous membrane. “It will cause
permanent damage to the surface of the
eye," Granet says.
Angels Trumpet
Angels Trumpet (Brugmansia)
• Angels Trumpet is an herbal drug derived from a
South American tropical tree whose flowers are
consumed as a tea, smoked, boiled and eaten
(abusers often eat the flowers) for
hallucinogenic effects. All parts of Brugmansia
are poisonous. In low doses, it’s considered
a mild hallucinogen, but higher doses can
result in an “eternal” trip or even death.
Sides Effects of Angels Trumpet
• Reported side effects include dilated
pupils, inability to urinate, severe thirst,
confusion, drowsiness, constipation, dry
and warm skin, fast heartbeat, anxiety,
headaches, hallucinations and memory
loss. Users explain this drug as similar in
effect to psilocybin mushroom and
have also indicated that the drug can
remove all capacity for free will.
Kratom (stimulant and sedative)
Kratom
• Kratom comes from the Mitragyna
Speciosa plant indigenous to Southeast
Asia, primarily in Thailand. It acts as a
stimulant at lower doses with effects to
include alertness, physical energy,
talkativeness and giddiness. With higher
doses, Kratom mimics an opiate with
sedative effects and euphoria. These
effects are usually felt within 5–10
minutes after ingestion and the high can
last from 2–5 hours.
Negative Side Effects of Kratom
• Negative side effects include nausea,
sweating, itching, dry mouth and
constipation. Long-term use can
potentially result in anorexia, insomnia,
weight loss and in some cases psychotic
episodes, such as confusion, delusions and
hallucinations.
Marketing of Kratom
• Kratom is typically sold via the Internet, at
convenience stores and head shops in the form of
green leaves (whole or crushed) and green
powder or pills (capsules). Individuals can ingest
it orally, smoke it or drink it as a tea when in leaf
form. Kratom has been sold as incense with labels
on the package stating “not for human
consumption,” resembling the packaging and
marketing common with Spice and Bath Salts.
The DEA’s Office of Diversion Control states
Kratom is a drug and chemical of concern with no
legitimate medical use, but it remains legal to sell
and use.
Alcopops
Alcopops
• Alcopops are flavored malt beverages. Alcopops
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are soda-like, popular beverages that appeal to
youth and are far too available at corner stores.
They include Smirnoff Ice, Four Loko, Blast,
Mike's Hard Lemonade and Bartles and James.
Alcohol companies like selling alcopops because
they effectively target teenagers. No adult would
be caught drinking one in a bar. But with as much
as 12% alcohol in 24 oz. single-serving
containers, alcopops are the equivalent of 3-5
beers. Many state attorney generals call them a
"binge in a can."
Love Boat
• Love Boat is marijuana dipped in
embalming fluid. Marijuana laced with PCP
has been sold as Love Boat in the last few
years.
Molly (old drug/new name)
• Molly is a pure form of Ecstasy, “X”, “XTC”
(MDMA). There have been many recent
deaths from young people using Molly.
Many performing artists have been
promoting the use of Molly at concerts and
in the lyrics of their songs.
Common drugs used by
Adolescents in North Carolina
• Common drugs used by adolescents in North
Carolina differ by region. What is popular in one
county may not be widely used in an adjacent
county. The top three drugs of choice by
adolescents in North Carolina are alcohol,
marijuana, then opiates. A trend during the last
ten years is an increase in opiate use. Not only
are teens using nonprescription pills, they are
using heroin and street methadone.
Past-Year Illicit Use of Drugs among
12th Graders Nationwide
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Marijuana-36.4 %
Synthetic Marijuana-11.3 %
Adderall-7.6 %
Vicodin-7.5 %
Cough Medicine-5.6 %
Tranquilizers-5.3 %
Hallucinogens-4.8 %
Sedativies-4.5 %
Salvia-4.4 %
Oxycontin-4.3 %
MDMA (Ecstasy)-3.8 %
Inhalants-2.9 %
Cocaine (any form)-2.7 %
Ritalin-2.6 %
Information Sources
• www.nida.nih.gov