This is flakka.
Posted on 08/16/2016 9:12:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A horrific story out of Florida on Tuesday has shined a spotlight on a “designer drug” whose effects can be so extreme that some call it “the devil’s drug.”
A man in Tequesta, Fla., was arrested and charged with two counts of murder in the stabbing death of couple there. When police arrived on scene, the man was found crouched over the body of a male victim, tearing the flesh from the man’s face with his teeth.
Police say they believe the man was likely under the influence of a drug called αlpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, or as it is more commonly known, flakka.
News of flakka and its South Florida roots has been circulating for a few years, but, recently, there have been several incidents where authorities believe people on the drug have been involved in more bizarre assaults.
So what is flakka and why is law enforcement so concerned about it? Here’s a quick look at the drug and what it does to a person.
What is flakka?
Alpha-PVP, or flakka, is a synthetic stimulant that is, chemically, similar to amphetamines. It has also been compared to a combination of methamphetamines and crack cocaine. It is similar to “bath salts,” another so-called designer drug that gives users extreme highs. (This is not the bath salts you may be putting in your tub)
What does it look like?
Flakka is made up of granules that are either white or pink – thus it also goes by the name “gravel.” It has a foul smell.
What is it made of?
Alpha-PVP is made in China and contains synthetic chemicals that block the molecules that keep dopamine and serotonin – neurotransmitters which help determine mood - balanced in the brain. Flakka allows those neurotransmitters to flood the brain producing a high.
What does it do to you?
Called “$5 insanity” by some, alpha-PVP causes a condition known as “excited delirium.” This produces paranoia, hallucinations, hyperstimulation and, in the extreme, violent actions. It has also been connected to several suicides.
Medically, the drug can lead to a heart attack, kidney damage or kidney failure. It can quickly raise body temperature to dangerous levels.
How do you take it?
Alpha-PVP can be snorted, injected, eaten, or vaporized in an e-cigarette.
What are the possible long-term effects?
The high from flakka can last several hours. The paranoia can last several months. Damage to the kidneys can result in the need for dialysis for the remainder of a user’s life.
How prevalent is it?
According to a story from Forbes, as of last year, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has seen a nearly 780 percent increase in the number of reported cases since 2012.
Is it legal?
Alpha-PVP is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is illegal to import, possess or sell. It is banned in Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey, Norway and the Czech Republic.
What have people done while on the drug?
There have been several reports of people doing particularly odd things while under the influence of flakka. In South Florida alone, there have been reports of a man standing naked on a building, holding a gun and threatening others; a man with what police called “superhuman strength" kicking in the hurricane doors at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and a man who repeatedly said he was God then attacked police after twice being Tased.
Medically, the drug can lead to a heart attack, kidney damage or kidney failure. It can quickly raise body temperature to dangerous levels.
Why the hell would anyone even think about this crap? You'd do better snorting arsenic with a strychnine chaser. Some people are just stupid.
This is flakka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMJMujPoa4YFLAKKA Video At You Tube
Is she a school teacher?
They can't handle reality. Let them leave it, for all time.
You mean explain to you besides invoking the teachings of Christ, right?
Just want to be clear.
Because many people feel hopeless and want to escape reality any way possible. And prohibition/taxes makes safer drugs FAR more expensive.
Why spend $50 on cocaine or $20 on booze when $5 of this stuff makes you forget your problems just the same?
Even if we magically succesfully outlawed every drug, these people would be frying their brains huffing road tar. Or even fermenting their own feces.
They’re sick and need mental help. Prison and restrictions on the freedoms of healthy people is NOT a solution to their illness
Hmmm.
I am going to guess either a prostitute or a tenured sociology professor at an Ivy League college.
This is really fascinating from a psychological perspective but horrifying from a general societal perspective. There have been prank videos in which people scare others in a zombie style pretend attack, but anymore I’d just assume they are on flakka and start shooting. I’m not even sure having them bounce off the top of the car would do it. Time to start carrying a trunk .308 to supplement the .45 just in case. Pretty sure that would do the trick.
But, hey, we can feel better about ourselves because we took the money of the producers in society and punished them in a misguided effort to help those poor, benighted souls.
It was customary to restrict the use of cross bows and square bullets from the Puckle Gun to heathens. I can't see any theological restriction in expanding it to democrats and druggies. Perhaps we can forward this to the Vatican. There are precedents...
The “zombie apocalypse” is not a purely fictional scenario.
I’ll bet at least some advanced nations have weaponized chem/bio agents and dispersal systems that can reduce entire cities to zombie killing fields.
Holy crap!! That looks like a trailer for an end of the world movie!
Bookmarking
He is now an actuary and has become a partner in the firm he works for. He's really proud that he has his own parking spot now.
Some people can come back.
These people are mostly born mentally ill. Are you also against helping those born physically disabled because it’s “socialism”? If their family cant pay for treatment, off to the gas chambers, right?
The total cost of prisons, law enforcement and all the losses from addict crimes is WAY more than it would cost to give these people mental help and the tools for proper integration into society.
Imprisoning the mentally ill repeatedly with violent felons and giving them no option but to sit in the streets and self-medicate with chinese lab waste is a damn crime against humanity. The ONLY reason it continues is because many people make HUGE money off this insane policy
I understand that but this drug/poison is killer. I suppose they will buy the hype and suffer the consequences. What a damned tragedy.
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