Synthetic Drug Trends
Transcript of Synthetic Drug Trends
Synthetic Cannabis
Psychoactive drug
Spraying Natural Herbs with Synthetic Chemicals
When consumed, it mimics the effects of cannabis. (Chemicals mimic, but are not copies of THC.)
Synthetic Cannabis
Synthetic Cannabis tied to Psychosis.
– May precipitate psychosis
– It is acute, so unstable and harder to control
– May be long-term, especially in those with family mental illness history
History of Synthetics
First went on sale in the early 2000’s
It was originally thought to be a mixture of legal herbs
Lab results in 2008 showed it possessed synthetic cannabinoids, similar to THC.
Ingredients
Synthetic Marijuana contains one or more of several drugs:– Cannabicyclohexanol
– JWH-018
– JWH-073
– HU-210
– CP-47
– JWH-200
These are analogues of the drug THC that are used in an attempt to make it legal.
How do People Get it?
Synthetic marijuana can be found:
– Smoke/Head Shops
– Online
– Gas Stations
– Home made
Common Brand Names:
– AM-HI-CO, K2, Dream, Spice (Gold,Diamond), Zoom, Mad
Hatter, Ex-ses, Yucatan Fire, Kronic, Kalma, VooDoo, Kaos,
Mango Kush, Mr. Nice Guy, Head Trip, Hysteria, Journey, XXX,
8 ball, Ultra, Red magic, etc…
The packaging is often misleading and misrepresents
the actual ingredients
Marketing
Commonly marketed as:– Potpourri
– Incense
Commonly says “Not For Human Consumption”
Will also give assurance that it does not contain “JWH-018” etc…
Legal
Will not produce positive results in a cannabis drug test.
It is possible to detect its metabolites in urine.
November 24, 2010 the U.S. DEA made the announcement that in the interest of public safety, it would ban the synthetics
July, 2012 the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act was signed into law.
It placed the synthetic compounds commonly found in synthetic marijuana under Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act
Police Response
Law Enforcement procedures when finding a person
in possession
– Arrest/Referral
– Testing
Bath Salts
Bath Salts is the term
used to describe a
designer drug that
contains substituted
cathinones.
The effects of these
are similar to:
– Amphetamines
– Cocaine
Bath Salts
This is an extremely
dangerous drug that
is sold under the
guise of being a
bathing product.
The white crystals
appear to be nothing
more than epsom
salts, but are
chemically different.
Bath Salts
Similar to ecstasy and
methamphetamine
– Designer Drug
– Concocted in home
made labs
– Thousands of Recipes
Often Called
– Bath Powder
– Herbal Incense
– Plant Food
Common Brand Names
Arctic Blast, Bayou Ivory Flower, Bloom, Blue Magic, Blue Silk, Bolivian Bath, Cloud 10, Cloud 9, Energizing Aromatherapy Powder, Euphoria, Gold Rush, Ivory Fresh, Ocean Snow, White China, White Dove, Wicked X, etc.
Statistics
Calls Made to
Poison Control:
2010 – 304 calls
2011 – 6,138 calls
By June 2012 –
over 1,000 calls
How Are Bath Salts Used
Bath Salts are:
– Ingested
– Snorted
– Smoked
– Injected
Very Addictive
Users Develop Tolerance
Similar to amphetamines in
that they alter levels of:
– Dopamine
– Serotonin
– Nor-epinepherine
Side Effects
Users suffer from:
– Headache, heart palpitations, nausea and
cold fingers
– Hallucinations, paranoia and panic attacks
– Heart attack, kidney failure, liver failure,
suicide
People take it to get high. They report
superhuman strength and euphoria
Marketing
Bath Salts are
generally
considered to be
drugs if the
quantity purchased
is far less than
what you would put
in a bathtub. These
are around $40.
Legal
Federally Banned in Stores
Easily Available on Internet
Manufactured in Home Laboratories
NO Regulation of Chemicals Used
MDPV and Mephedrone banned
Substance has to be sent to lab by police for
testing
Excited Delirium - Defined
A brain disorder where neurochemical
systems in the brain are functioning
abnormally and is typically drug induced,
but can occur in non-drug users. It is
characterized by dysregulated dopamine
transporters, elevated heat shock proteins,
and immediate early gene activation as a
marker of paranoid aggression.
It is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY!
Excited Delirium
Sympathetic
nervous system
activation
Adrenaline
pumped into the
body
Primal fight or flight
response
The body can only
function this way for a
limited time
Similar to putting your
car in park and
pressing the peddle to
the floor
If it does not slow
down eventually you
will find the weak
point in the “engine”
Symptoms of ED
Paranoia
Disorientation
Hyper-aggression
Tachycardia
Hallucinations
Incoherent speech or shouting
Superhuman strength/endurance
Hyperthermia
Unresponsive, zombie-like, bug-eyed
Symptoms of ED
Bizarre, violent, aggressive behavior
Violence toward objects
Attack/break glass (windows and mirrors)
Overheated/excessive sweating or very dry
(Body shuts down perspiration production
because of over demand on system)
Public disrobing -partial or full (cooling attempt)
Extreme paranoia
Incoherent shouting (animal noises or loud
pressured speech)
Symptoms of ED
Unbelievable strength
Undistracted by any type of pain (Including
broken bones and damaged limbs. Can easily
overpower lone officer)
Irrational physical behavior
Fight or flight behavior (Subject perceives
attempts to restrain as threat to his existence. It
is a primal sympathetic nervous system
response)
Hyperactivity
“Bug Eyes” (They look “nuts”)