The lead singer for the iconic band ‘The Doors’, Jim Morrison, once proclaimed, “Drugs are a bet with your mind.” Many of us take the risk of alcohol consumption or caffeine or the multitude of possible prescriptions doctors may have us on, but there are certain drugs like meth and crack that are triggers for the normal mind to immediately respond with a great big “no!” Over the past couple of years, a new form of drugs called synthetic cathinones have emerged. These drugs have an interesting genesis, have a long list of adverse effects, and often times, require treatment for users.

Synthetic cathinones come from laboratories where chemists create them. A variety of them have been synthesized and are based off the natural compound cathinone which comes from the shrub Catha edulis, more commonly known as khat, grown near the Red Sea and the Eastern parts of Africa (Cox, Rampes 2003). This plant does not have nearly anywhere near the dangers of these synthetic cathinones. Bath salts tends to be the name attributed to synthetic cathinones and have variations like in the case of the infamous flakka. These drugs are found easily on the internet and sold by a variety of names such as “plant food”, “jewelry cleaner”, “phone screen cleaner” and labeled with a “not for human consumption” sticker on them” to make the sales legitimate (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016). This makes the regulation of the illegal drug very difficult for law enforcement. These drugs have no relation to bath salts like Epsom salts or the other euphemisms previously discussed and are just slang names for the drug (McMillen, 2013). These drugs, even though easily accessible, pose a great threat to the user.

The effects of bath salts vary with a great deal of negative outcomes. Synthetic cathinones are similar in chemical structure to amphetamines and cocaine (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2016). Certain side-effects of synthetic cathinones parallel these drugs, with a variety of others seen within users of bath salts. The symptoms of these drugs include: paranoia, hallucinations, panic attacks, chest pain, and suicidal thoughts (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016 and McMillen, 2013). Videos on the internet show a variety of these and other effects inflicted on the user. These types of side-effects often do not affect only the user but others in their environment around them. In the case of the synthetic cathinone flakka, those who take too much exhibit violent behavior and believe themselves stronger than they actually are (Storres 2015). Effects such as the ones flakka incurs, can pose dangers to those near the user.

Such a dangerous substance with difficult regulation requires aid for users who may become addicted.
These drugs have been used in studies with mice to cause addiction and create symptoms such as anxiety, depression, tremors, and problems sleeping (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2016). With mice having similar brain chemistry to humans, this illustrates how harmful synthetic cathinones can be in people. A wide variety of therapies are available for those who want treatment, but as of now, no drugs for treatment for addiction for synthetic cathinones are available (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2016). With these drugs’ capacity to make users easily addicted and there being no drug treatment for the scourge of negative side-effects caused by them, support for users needs to be one of the ways in which society counters the effects of these drugs.

With a laboratory beginning, a variety of negative effects, and the necessity of treatment for users, synthetic cathinones prove to be dangerous for society. Drugs like these require regulation so they are not easily usurped by the populace. Hopefully this article has enlightened readers about the dangers of these synthetic cathinones. Jim Morison declared drugs are a bet with your mind; in the case of synthetic cathinones, you are very unlikely to win your bet.

Work Cited:

Cox, Glenice and Hagen Rampes (2003). Adverse effects of khat: a review. BJPsychAdvances. Retrieved from: http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/9/6/456.full

National Institute on Drug Abuse (2016). Drug Facts Synthetic Catinones (Bath Salts). Retrieved from: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/synthetic-cathinones-bath-salts#textbox2

McMillen, Matt (2013). ‘Bath Salts’ Drug Trend: Expert Q&A. WebMD. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/bath-salts-drug-dangers?page=2

Storres, Carina (2015). What is flakka (aka gravel) and why is it more dangerous than cocaine? CNN. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/26/health/flakka-gravel-illegal-drugs/