Synthetic

Drug

Trendshttp://police.conroeisd.net/

Sgt. Matthew J. Blakelock. LCC

Synthetics

Synthetic Drugs found

in many common

forms:

– Cannabis

– Bath Salts

– LSD

Synthetic Cannabis

Psychoactive drug

Spraying Natural Herbs with Synthetic Chemicals

When consumed, it mimics the effects of cannabis. (Chemicals mimic, but are not copies of THC.)

Synthetic Cannabis

Synthetic Cannabis tied to Psychosis.

– May precipitate psychosis

– It is acute, so unstable and harder to control

– May be long-term, especially in those with family mental illness history

History of Synthetics

First went on sale in the early 2000’s

It was originally thought to be a mixture of legal herbs

Lab results in 2008 showed it possessed synthetic cannabinoids, similar to THC.

Ingredients

Synthetic Marijuana contains one or more of several drugs:– Cannabicyclohexanol

– JWH-018

– JWH-073

– HU-210

– CP-47

– JWH-200

These are analogues of the drug THC that are used in an attempt to make it legal.

How do People Get it?

Synthetic marijuana can be found:

– Smoke/Head Shops

– Online

– Gas Stations

– Home made

Common Brand Names:

– AM-HI-CO, K2, Dream, Spice (Gold,Diamond), Zoom, Mad

Hatter, Ex-ses, Yucatan Fire, Kronic, Kalma, VooDoo, Kaos,

Mango Kush, Mr. Nice Guy, Head Trip, Hysteria, Journey, XXX,

8 ball, Ultra, Red magic, etc…

The packaging is often misleading and misrepresents

the actual ingredients

Marketing

Commonly marketed as:– Potpourri

– Incense

Commonly says “Not For Human Consumption”

Will also give assurance that it does not contain “JWH-018” etc…

How is it Ingested?

How is it Ingested?

Legal

Will not produce positive results in a cannabis drug test.

It is possible to detect its metabolites in urine.

November 24, 2010 the U.S. DEA made the announcement that in the interest of public safety, it would ban the synthetics

July, 2012 the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act was signed into law.

It placed the synthetic compounds commonly found in synthetic marijuana under Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act

Police Response

Law Enforcement procedures when finding a person

in possession

– Arrest/Referral

– Testing

Bath Salts

Bath Salts is the term

used to describe a

designer drug that

contains substituted

cathinones.

The effects of these

are similar to:

– Amphetamines

– Cocaine

Bath Salts

This is an extremely

dangerous drug that

is sold under the

guise of being a

bathing product.

The white crystals

appear to be nothing

more than epsom

salts, but are

chemically different.

Bath Salts

Similar to ecstasy and

methamphetamine

– Designer Drug

– Concocted in home

made labs

– Thousands of Recipes

Often Called

– Bath Powder

– Herbal Incense

– Plant Food

Common Brand Names

Arctic Blast, Bayou Ivory Flower, Bloom, Blue Magic, Blue Silk, Bolivian Bath, Cloud 10, Cloud 9, Energizing Aromatherapy Powder, Euphoria, Gold Rush, Ivory Fresh, Ocean Snow, White China, White Dove, Wicked X, etc.

Statistics

Calls Made to

Poison Control:

2010 – 304 calls

2011 – 6,138 calls

By June 2012 –

over 1,000 calls

How Are Bath Salts Used

Bath Salts are:

– Ingested

– Snorted

– Smoked

– Injected

Very Addictive

Users Develop Tolerance

Similar to amphetamines in

that they alter levels of:

– Dopamine

– Serotonin

– Nor-epinepherine

Side Effects

Users suffer from:

– Headache, heart palpitations, nausea and

cold fingers

– Hallucinations, paranoia and panic attacks

– Heart attack, kidney failure, liver failure,

suicide

People take it to get high. They report

superhuman strength and euphoria

Marketing

Bath Salts are

generally

considered to be

drugs if the

quantity purchased

is far less than

what you would put

in a bathtub. These

are around $40.

Packaging

Packaging

Legal

Federally Banned in Stores

Easily Available on Internet

Manufactured in Home Laboratories

NO Regulation of Chemicals Used

MDPV and Mephedrone banned

Substance has to be sent to lab by police for

testing

Excited Delirium - Defined

A brain disorder where neurochemical

systems in the brain are functioning

abnormally and is typically drug induced,

but can occur in non-drug users. It is

characterized by dysregulated dopamine

transporters, elevated heat shock proteins,

and immediate early gene activation as a

marker of paranoid aggression.

It is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY!

Excited Delirium

Sympathetic

nervous system

activation

Adrenaline

pumped into the

body

Primal fight or flight

response

The body can only

function this way for a

limited time

Similar to putting your

car in park and

pressing the peddle to

the floor

If it does not slow

down eventually you

will find the weak

point in the “engine”

Symptoms of ED

Paranoia

Disorientation

Hyper-aggression

Tachycardia

Hallucinations

Incoherent speech or shouting

Superhuman strength/endurance

Hyperthermia

Unresponsive, zombie-like, bug-eyed

Symptoms of ED

Bizarre, violent, aggressive behavior

Violence toward objects

Attack/break glass (windows and mirrors)

Overheated/excessive sweating or very dry

(Body shuts down perspiration production

because of over demand on system)

Public disrobing -partial or full (cooling attempt)

Extreme paranoia

Incoherent shouting (animal noises or loud

pressured speech)

Symptoms of ED

Unbelievable strength

Undistracted by any type of pain (Including

broken bones and damaged limbs. Can easily

overpower lone officer)

Irrational physical behavior

Fight or flight behavior (Subject perceives

attempts to restrain as threat to his existence. It

is a primal sympathetic nervous system

response)

Hyperactivity

“Bug Eyes” (They look “nuts”)

Questions???