![]() But it does have one advantage over its predecessor: it has not been banned – yet. It is unclear at this point whether flakka is more dangerous than the “bath salts” that came before it. These are “people who are already disadvantaged in terms of chronic disease and access to health care,” he added. Dealers often target young and poor people and also try to enlist homeless people to buy and sell, Hall said. A dose can go for $3 to $5, which makes it a cheap alternative to cocaine. Like most synthetic drugs, the bulk of flakka seems to come from China and is either sold over the Internet or through gas stations or other dealers. Experts worry that some survivors of flakka overdoses may be on dialysis for the rest of their life. The drug can cause muscles to break down, as a result of hyperthermia, taking a toll on kidneys. And because flakka, like bath salts, hang around in the brain for longer than cocaine, the extent of the destruction could be greater.Īnother serious, potentially lingering side effect of flakka is the effect on kidneys. Not only does the drug sit on neurons, it could also destroy them, Hall said. Cocaine and methamphetamine have similar modes of action in the brain, but the chemicals in flakka have longer-lasting effects, Hall said.Īlthough a typical flakka high can last one to several hours, it is possible that the neurological effects can be permanent. The result is to “flood the brain” with these chemicals, Hall said. It is unclear why the Sunshine State is a hotbed for flakka abuse “it’s a major question in our community,” Hall said.Ĭases have also been reported in Alabama, Mississippi and New Jersey.įlakka, which gets its name from Spanish slang for a beautiful woman (“la flaca”), contains a chemical that is a close cousin to MDPV, a key ingredient in “bath salts.” These chemicals bind and thwart molecules on the surface of neurons that normally keep the levels of mood-regulating neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, in check. Hall said that there are about three or four hospitalizations a day in Broward County in South Florida, and more on weekends. Authorities in the state are warning people about the dangers of the drug.įlorida seems to be particularly hard hit by flakka overdoses. A girl in Melbourne, Florida, ran through the street screaming that she was Satan while on a flakka trip. ![]() A man in South Florida who broke down the hurricane-proof doors of a police department admitted to being on flakka. Probably what has brought flakka the most attention is that it gives users what feels like the strength and fury of the Incredible Hulk.ĭeadly High: How synthetic drugs are killing kidsįlakka stories are starting to pile up. It’s that critical.”Ī small overdose of the drug, which can be smoked, injected, snorted or injected, can lead to a range of extreme symptoms: “excited delirium,” as experts call it, marked by violent behavior spikes in body temperature (105 degrees and higher, Hall said) paranoia. “Just a little bit of difference in how much is consumed can be the difference between getting high and dying. ![]() “It’s so difficult to control the exact dose ,” said Jim Hall, a drug abuse epidemiologist at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But like “ bath salts,” a group of related synthetic drugs that were banned in 2012, flakka has the potential to be much more dangerous than cocaine. The man-made drug causes a high similar to cocaine. In some parts of the country, it is also called “gravel” because of its white crystal chunks that have been compared to aquarium gravel.
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