It comes with the name flakka. In some parts of the country, this drug is called gravel or gravel because it is shaped like a piece of white crystal the size of a pebble in an aquarium.
This drug is made to resemble cocaine. However, in 2012, a group of synthetic drug makers concerned is prohibited from operating. The reason, flakka potentially far more dangerous than cocaine.
"It is very difficult to control the right dose in the use of flakka," said Jim Hall, an epidemiologist of drug abuse at the University of Nova Southeastern, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
"Just a slight difference in the amount of doses consumed can cause the difference between sakau and dying. This is very dangerous, "he said.
A slight overdose of the drug, whether exploited, injected, or aspirated through the nose, can cause extreme symptoms. Some experts call it "excited delirium", which is an extreme adrenaline surge that can lead to violent behavior. In this condition, the body temperature can also jump very high.
Expands anger and strength
The important thing to note is that flakka causes its users to feel super power and anger that can explode like a Hulk.
The story of flakka began to be heard. A man in South Florida damaged the storm door and later admitted he was under flakka influence.
A woman in Melbourne, Florida, ran down the street and yelled that she was a demon, while in flakka influence. Authorities in Florida warned everyone about the dangers of this drug.
Hall said there were about three to four people admitted to the hospital a day at Browards Country, Florida, and more and more on weekends.
In addition to Florida, flakka cases have also been reported in Alabama, Mississippi, and New Jersey.
** The damaging beautiful **
Flakka, derived from the Spanish word meaning a beautiful woman (la flaca), contains a chemical compound called MDPV, the main ingredient of bath salts or bath salts. These chemicals stimulate parts of the brain that regulate mood, dopamine hormones, and serotonin.
"This effect will flood the brain," Hall said. Cocaine and methamphetamine have the same way of working in the brain. However, the chemical compounds on flakka leave a more durable effect.
Although flakka-like effects such as sakau last only a few hours, it can occur permanently in the brain. Not only stay in the brain, this medicine, Hall said, also destroys the brain.
Flakka will roam the brain for longer than cocaine, as well as the extent of brain damage, which will be much larger.
Another important thing to look out for, flakka has the potential to cause other side effects that are not less serious in kidney health. Flakca can also cause the muscles to rupture, as a result of hyperthermia. Experts fear that overdose flakka users may undergo dialysis for the rest of their lives.
Like synthetic drugs in general, most of the flakkas seem to come from China and are sold over the internet or at gas stations. Flakka can be obtained for 3-5 US dollars for one dose. This is cheaper than cocaine.
"Flakka sellers choose young and poor people to be their target, even asking homeless people as dealers," Hall said.
Although the Drug Enforcement Administration has banned the flakka, drugmakers can still find the gap.
"They can write 'not for human consumption' on drug labels," said Lucas Watterson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Substance Abuse Research at Temple University School of Medicine.
It may take several years, he said, to get the necessary data so that federal agencies can issue an official ban on the circulation of flakka.
"The problem is, when one of these drugs is banned or illegal, drug manufacturers respond by producing a number of different alternatives," Watterson said.