Heard of Flakka? Maybe not. Remember the news story of the teenage boy in Florida who killed a couple and then chewed off their faces? Of course. Who could forget a despicable and horrific act like that? What people don’t know is that the cause of that outbreak was because of this new drug called Flakka which is also called Gravel. It is similar to bath salts, synthetic, and one of the most dangerous drugs created.
Effects similar to LSD, flakka causes impulsive and out of character behaviors, most of the time violent, impulsive, aggressive, and phsychotic. Comparing this new-found drug to Heroin, scientists say it is just as dangerous if not more because on heroin, people don’t lash out; but on flakka, people do. It is compared to heroin because it is just as intense and that is why college students have taken note of it. They get tired of snorting coke but don’t want to resort to heroin. So, they turn to something that they think is better but is in actuality 100 times worse. Scietists say that the high is higher than any other high and lasts longer than any other – sometimes even days.
Snorted, eaten, injected, or even vaped, flakka is a white/pink crystal with a gross smell that comes in a package with clear warning against human consumption. Of course, you can only buy this on the streets. The easiest and quickest way to get high on this drug is to vape it since it goes directly into the blood stream.
The danger in this drug in unmeasurable. However, some worth mentioning are an intense spike in temperature, kidney failure, liver damage, heart problems, and even heart failures. It breaks my heart to say that these are just SOME of the side effects; not even close to all of them. Rolling Stone says that “Flakka users will experience what the National Institute on Drug Abuse calls "excited delirium": a debated condition involving hallucinations, paranoia, increased strength and hyperstimulation.”
Rolling Stone also mentions the issue of price involving this new found drug. Another reason flakka is attracting college students is because it is very cheap compared to heroin. They state “The designer drug is typically sold online or in the streets for $3 to $5 a hit, whereas a gram of cocaine in the states can cost anywhere from $62 to $80 on average.”
The U.S. Drug Administration has put a temporary ban on this drug. I’m waiting for the day when this drug becomes forever illegal. Why it was even created is beyond me. This drug is ruining our nation and it’s time that we step up and do something about it.
