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Flakka - A Dangerous High
There are many reasons to keep an eye on our kids, but one can have life or death implications: illegal drugs, and in particular a drug called Flakka. Today, kids may not know what they're taking because many are unique chemicals made by an illegal lab. This means unlucky teens can end up taking a lethal dose.
Flakka is a second generation bath salt, named after the kind you put in the tub because they're also small crystals. Flakka is a synthetic cathinone, a stimulant, and its potency is similar to methamphetamine but more addictive. A national survey of high school students done in two thousand eighteen reveals about one percent had tried it. That's not surprising because Flakka is called a poor person's cocaine at five dollars a gram. It's caused eighty deaths in Florida alone within a recent fifteen month period.
Flakka crystals are white or pink, smells like dirty socks, can be eaten, snorted, injected or vaped. It causes a condition called "excited delirium" that involves hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations that can lead to violent aggression and self-injury. The drug has been linked to deaths by suicide as well as heart attacks.
The high school survey, which was self-reported, had the highest use among teens not living with their parents or from lower socio-economic families. It's used more often by people who visit electronic dance parties who also take ecstacy, a drug often contaminated with Flakka.
Young people should know about the risks of taking these types of drugs today. Maybe then, they'll think twice.
More Information
Use of synthetic drug Flakka rare among high school seniors, but most users take numerous drugs
Nearly one percent of high school seniors report using Flakka, a highly potent and potentially dangerous synthetic drug, according to a new study...
One percent of US teenagers are using flakka -- but it could be more
Just under 1% of American teenagers are knowingly using the synthetic drug flakka, according to new research...
Flakka Overview
akka is the most recent synthetic compound that has alarmed the public health sector. This new designer drug called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP) is a tweaked version of bath salts. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), Flakka drug use is surging in Florida...
