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| “Bath salts,” or synthetic street drugs with amphetamines. |
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| Doctors for a man whose face and eyeball were eaten by Rudy Eugene. |
Flakka is a dangerous drug, but it doesn’t turn
you into a zombie
Joseph
Palamar
Stories
of horrific crimes resulting from drug use have been propagated by the media
for over a century.
Such
stories began with cocaine in 1914 and were followed by “reefer madness” stories
in the 1930s and reports of “LSD murders” in the 1960s.
Our
latest drug said to be associated with murderous stories is a “bath salt”
called Flakka, which some media have even called a “zombie drug.”
It’s
gained this moniker by being associated with bizarre and violent behavior of
some drug users.
In
August, 19-year-old Austin Harrouff attacked and killed a couple in their
Florida home, and he was found biting the face and abdomen of one of his
victims.
The
attacker’s parents reported he had displayed strange behavior for months prior
to the incident and that he possibly suffered from undiagnosed schizophrenia.
Authorities,
however, believed Harouff was likely high on the new street drug called Flakka,
as use had previously been attributed to widespread incidents of strange and
sometimes violent behavior.
On
Nov. 23, however, media coverage of Harouff’s toxicology tests revealed that
Flakka was not detected in Harrouff’s system. Thus, this “cannibal” incident
did not involve the drug, as was widely believed.
Regardless,
Flakka is a new and potentially dangerous synthetic drug.
Flakka
is a street name for alpha-PVP – a very potent synthetic cathinone drug.
Synthetic
cathinones are a new variety of amphetamine-like street drugs, which are
commonly referred to as “bath salts.”
Flakka
is a very potent and inexpensive stimulant. In fact, it appears to be more
potent than methamphetamine, and it is believed to have higher addictive
potential.
Flakka
use has been found to be associated with paranoia, delusions and hallucinations
(which may be somewhat dependent on frequent and/or extensive use).
Within
16 months (2014-2015) in Fort Lauderdale and its suburbs alone, 63 supposed
Flakka users died from acute intoxication, accidents, suicides and homicides.
Flakka
is particularly infamous for being tied to rashes of bizarre behavior in
Florida and recently in Australia.
“Bath
salts” such as Flakka quickly became extremely stigmatized drugs in response to
media coverage of users supposedly turning into zombies or cannibals.
As
someone who studies drug use epidemiology, I think it is very important to
separate truth from myth when it comes to drugs.
Cannibals
and zombies high on ‘bath salts’?
The
zombie/cannibal label phenomenon began in Miami on May 26, 2012 when Rudy Eugene
– naked and thought to be high on “bath salts” – chewed the face and eyeball
off of a homeless man.
The
attacker was killed by police, and the homeless man was left disfigured and
blind.
However,
toxicology tests later confirmed that “bath salts” were not present in the
attacker’s system.
Still,
the zombie/cannibal pop culture phenomenon had begun and would continue.
Prevalence
of self-reported “bath salt” use among high school seniors remained relatively
stable at about 1 percent over the last few years; however, between 2012 and
2016, perceived harmfulness of trying “bath salts” nearly doubled – from 33
percent to 58 percent.
This
is likely a result of the zombie/cannibal label, as perception of harm often
leads to less use.
The
belief that Flakka or other “bath salt” use can turn you into a zombie or
cannibal appears to have been a somewhat effective deterrent against use.
However,
what a lot of young people don’t know is that they have been using Flakka or
other “bath salts,” or both, without knowing it, as these drugs are common
adulterants, in “Molly” – the newest street name for ecstasy/MDMA.
Last
year I collected hair samples from dozens of nightclub and dance festival
attendees in New York City to be tested for new psychoactive substances.
Many
attendees joked that they would never use “bath salts” as “they are not zombies
or cannibals.”
But
what my colleagues and I actually found was that among self-reported ecstasy
users who denied “bath salt” use (after being provided a list of dozens of
compounds in this class), four out of 10 actually tested positive for one of
more of these compounds.
So
a lot of drug users are actually using Flakka and/or other “bath salts”
unknowingly or unintentionally, thinking it’s Molly. (And no, these people
didn’t turn into cannibals or zombies.)
Let’s
try to get the facts straight
While
information based on falsehoods can help deter people from (intentionally)
using potentially dangerous drugs such as Flakka, legitimate and truthful
information is needed not only to deter use, but also to prevent those who
reject abstinence from experiencing harm.
Sometimes
scary information works to deter drug use. But “scary” should be based on
truthful information about potentially harmful drugs.
If
we continue to exaggerate adverse effects, then this can work against our
prevention efforts in two ways.
First,
potential users – especially experienced drug users – may disregard our
warnings.
Second,
exaggerating dangerous effects usually leads to increased stigma toward those
who use or happen to be dependent on the drug.
This
usually leads only to further ostracization and a lower likelihood of seeking
treatment.
Drug-induced
cannibalism now appears to be a hot media topic. This is understandable as much
of the public is now obsessed with zombie TV shows.
But
we need to ensure that we remain cautious about news we hear, and responsible
for news we share.
Assistant Professor of
Population Health, New York University Langone Medical Center
https://theconversation.com/flakka-is-a-dangerous-drug-but-it-doesnt-turn-you-into-a-zombie-69533
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