‘Flakka’ is a new generation bath salt, a synthetic cathinone officially known as alpha-PVP, that emerged in Florida in late 2014. Originally synthesized in the 1960s, in recent years, supply from China has made its way into the US and hit states such as Florida, hard and fast. The reason for the popularity of this cathinone was the staggering price difference of this foul smelling powder in comparison to other street drugs.
For $3-$5, users of alpha-PVP will feel an intense high, supposedly 10 times stronger than that of cocaine. The latter of these drugs would set you back anything ranging from $50-$100 a gram in the US. Because of its cheapness, this designer drug spread rapidly amongst low income people, the homeless community and was also prevalent amongst college students who would struggle to afford alternative highs.
The Effects of Flakka
In short, the effects of flakka lead to short-term insanity. The short term effects of this bath salt mimic those of cocaine and methamphetamine: feelings of euphoria and increased alertness due to a rush of dopamine to the brain.
However, these intense feelings of pleasure come hand in hand with dire consequences. Whilst under its influence, a person can become erratic, aggressive and experience paranoid delusions. One man in Florida ran naked in front of traffic in an attempt to be hit by a car because he had convinced himself that this was the only way to escape the monsters chasing him (that also supposedly stole his missing clothes). His will to live had been overcome by his delusions. Such delusions have given rise to alpha-PVP being nicknamed the ‘zombie drug’, with one person gnawing a victim’s face off when he was seemingly possessed by the drug. During the flakka epidemic countless outlandish stories of people performing outrageous and crazy acts were reported.
Beyond this crazy behavior, abusing flakka has huge health implications. In cases where some patients are restrained whilst experiencing the effects of this drug, they can enter a state of excited delirium. This state can be fatal as a person will thrash and struggle to get free, often resulting in seizures. This high level of muscle activity combined with a spike in body temperature leads to a breakdown in muscle tissue and dehydration. This dehydration leads to kidney damage if not kidney failure or even death. During the surge in alpha-PVP use there were 63 reported deaths in South Florida alone.
Prevalence in today’s market
In today’s street drug market, flakka is no longer available in the US. The reason for this stems from pressure the American Government placed on China to ban the production and exportation of alpha-PVP and over 100 other synthetic drugs it was producing at the same time. China implemented this ban in October 2015 and since then the drug has rapidly diminished and abuse of flakka has become extremely isolated.
However, as one drug is banned, new drugs are synthesized and the disappearance of flakka must be monitored as a new synthetic drug could take its place. Governments must work on a united front to tackle this global issue, by halting production at source and by educating people on the short-term dangers of these extreme drugs as well as the largely unknown long-term consequences.