Nothing beautiful about this

It is rumoured to get its name from the Spanish slang for ‘beautiful woman’, but Flakka, also known as the Zombie drug, is anything but beautiful.

It is the new designer drug that was reported to have hit the streets of Durban. It is a dangerous synthetic cathinone drug called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone, a powerful stimulant that tests as alpha-PDP in labs. It is also known as ‘gravel’ or ‘$5 insanity’ on the street in the US.

A crystalline substance resembling aquarium gravel or rock candy, its ingredients put it in the same family as crystal meth and bath salts. This man-made drug is generally created in labs abroad and sold to dealers in South Florida. It makes it a cheap alternative to cocaine and crystal meth.

I don’t know much about drugs, so I decided to do some research about it, but I can tell you one thing, it is terrifying. Here is some of the information I managed to get.

Flakka can be injected, snorted, smoked with marijuana or ingested, and is quickly gaining popularity among e-cigarette users.

The side effects of Flakka are extremely unpredictable. It is marked by hallucinations, psychosis, excited delirium, anxiety, paranoia, combative behaviour, superhuman strength and rapid heartbeat. Spikes in body temperature make some users believe they have super human strength, which quickly changes to feeling as if they are being burnt alive.

Flakka is extremely dangerous. According to reports, the slightest difference in how much is consumed can be the difference between getting high and dying.

There are long-term dangers as well. Although a typical Flakka high generally lasts between one and four hours, it is feared that the neurological damage can be long-term or even permanent.

Another critical side effect of the drug is on the kidneys. Because it raises the body temperature to such alarming heights, survivors can find themselves on dialysis for the rest of their lives. For this reason, Flakka users often undress themselves when they are high.

Like many synthetic drugs, the bulk of Flakka is being imported from India, Pakistan and China. Once it arrives in the United States, dealers often target the poor and already disadvantaged with this cheap alternative to bath salts and crystal meth.

We really should be vigilant and aware of this drug. I have seen videos of people high on Flakka and it terrifies me, mostly because I don’t know how to stop this from coming to our town.

Any ideas?

Until next week, take care of one another.

Ciao