Countdown to Hallowe'en 2016: The Zombie Drug

Gif Source: giphy.

Among the world's scariest drugs, first there was krokodil in Russia, then Devil's Breath in Colombia. Less scary but equally devastating was the epidemic in 2016 of synthetic marijuana, or Spice or K2 in New York City, which has provoked some Youtubers to imagine that these drugs are concocted and released to the general population by the Illuminati. Other conspiracy theorists argue that synthetic drugs are part of evil CIA or Masonic plots to destroy the public. In fact, they are made in labs in China. In 2015 and early 2016, a variant of synthetic bath salts, flakka, swept through South Florida, USA. Bad flakka trips turn people into deranged, rambling zombies. Far-right Christians called it the demon possession drug. In early 2015, when flakka reached Europe, the UK, Australia and Canada, VICE told people to ignore flakka scare reports. However, VICE admitted:

"Nobody buys a substitute when the real thing is available. Now, anyone can get their hands on thousands of substances that otherwise wouldn't have been available and that there is next-to-no info about. New drugs like 'flakka' kill more than the old school ones ever did, but it's all done legally. What a breakthrough for society."

The fear was justified. Scary videos of flakka users flooded social media and reports became desperate as the drug spread to other states.

We spent 24 hours living through Florida’s flakka crisis (7 July 2015). Video Source: Youtube.

Compilation - People on Flakka (8 November 2015). Video Source: Youtube.

In April 2015, the drug suddenly disappeared. By the end of the month, CNN asked, Is street drug flakka gone for good? Then, in mid-August 2016, flakka reemerged in Florida and other parts of the United States with a vengeance, possibly in a new chemical formulation to evade law enforcement crackdowns, and the new formulation made the drug's trademark psychosis and paranoia much worse.

Droga Zombie Sales de baño (19 August 2016). Video Source: Youtube.

William Southerd, police chief of Christopher, Illinois, USA told VICE:

"Synthetic marijuana's been bad for two years here, and in the state of Illinois right now it is a catch-up game. Every time they make an ingredient illegal that's in this, the Chinese — that's where it's coming from — already has another analogue to put in it. ... It's worse than heroin, meth, all that. ... The reaction, the best way I can describe it is, the terms my officers used is that you're dealing with a bunch of zombies, they're just completely out of their mind."

The drug starts by inducing euphoria but then creates delusions of being superhuman and persecuted; it makes users unnaturally strong and can make them violent. On 15 August 2016, Florida State college student, Austin Harrouff, murdered a couple in their home in Tequesta, Florida, and cannibalized the male victim. In Martin County, Florida on 28 August 2016, 19-year-old Nico Gallo jumped through a living room window while a family was watching television and mauled a woman and her son. The mother beat Gallo off with a baseball bat.

Cannibal attack: Flakka-fuelled ‘zombie’ frat boy eats Florida man's face - TomoNews (18 August 2016). Video Source: Youtube.

Hear Desperate 911 Call From Fraternity Brother Face-Eating Incident (17 August 2016). Video Source: Youtube.

Hear Frantic 911 Call as Man Allegedly High on Flakka Cannonballs Through Window (30 August 2016). Video Source: Youtube.

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Check out other blogs Counting down to Hallowe'en! Image Source: Guff.