Krokodil, angel dust, flakka, meow meow, NBOMe… A new wave of psychoactive substances produced in clandestine laboratories has caused concern around the world. Consumed mainly by young people, they are synthetic drugs that reproduce the effects of marijuana, cocaine and heroin, but with one detail: they are much more potent than the original substances and have far more harmful effects on health. To make matters worse, there are still few scientific studies on its long-term effects. Understand why they will hardly make your head.
– (Lambuja/Strange World)
1) NBOME
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Papers under the tongue
PRICE: BRL 30 to BRL 40 the stamp
DESCRIPTION: It is a potent psychedelic with LSD-like effects. There are more than a dozen types of NBOMe. The drug began to be sold over the internet in 2010
THE “CHEAP”: causes strong alteration in consciousness, visual and auditory hallucinations, euphoria and feelings of love
ACTION ON THE BODY: in addition to causing paranoid outbreaks, the drug causes tachycardia, hypertension and seizures and can lead to acute renal failure. Two seals can already cause an overdose
2) ANGEL POWDER
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Smoking, ingestion or injection
PRICE: $20 to $30 a gram
DESCRIPTION: When it was created in the 1950s, it was used as an anesthetic. But its medical use has been discontinued for causing delusions and psychotic breaks in some patients. From the 1970s onwards, it became a street drug. It is in the form of a white crystalline powder.
THE “CHEAP”: consumption in low doses (1 to 5 mg) causes a feeling of intoxication accompanied by relaxation, a feeling of disconnection from reality, lack of motor coordination, difficulty concentrating and hallucinations
ACTION ON THE BODY: penetrates the body’s fat deposits, which increases its action time. Can change heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the chances of stroke
3) SYNTHETIC MARIJUNA
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: smoke
PRICE: BRL 30 a gram
DESCRIPTION: It is produced from a base formed by aromatic plants (ground grass, fine herbs, etc.). This base receives a liquid solution of synthetic molecules with pharmacological activity similar to that of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active principle of marijuana
THE “CHEAP”: It has effects similar to those of conventional marijuana, but much more intense. Causes relaxation, mood swings and altered perception
ACTION ON THE BODY: can cause hypothermia and reduced sensitivity in the body. Abuse can lead to seizures and kidney damage
4) KROKODIL
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Injection
PRICE: $6 to $8 an injection
DESCRIPTION: It is a type of synthetic heroin and was created for medical use in 1932 in the Soviet Union under the name desomorphine. Its recreational use began in the 2000s. The region of the body where it is injected becomes thick, darkened and greenish, peeling off as if it were the skin of a crocodile
THE “CHEAP”: causes a deep state of lethargy and relaxation, but its effect is short-lived (about two hours), which enhances consumption
ACTION ON THE BODY: causes severe damage to blood vessels and tissues where it is applied, causing necrosis and gangrene. There is a risk of bone inflammation and amputation of affected limbs
5) SPECIAL-K
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Inhalation (powder), injection or pills
PRICE: BRL 25 a capsule or BRL 32 a vial
DESCRIPTION: It is made from an anesthetic drug used in horses and humans, ketamine. First synthesized in 1962, it was used in the Vietnam War to ease the pain of the wounded.
THE “CHEAP”: its consumption produces mild sedation and fantasy thoughts (as in a dream), decreased motor activity and mood swings. Users also report a feeling of being outside their own body.
ACTION ON THE BODY: substance abuse can lead to increased body temperature with damage to muscles, kidneys and liver
6) MEOW MEOW
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Smoking, inhalation, ingestion or injection
PRICE: £15 a gram
DESCRIPTION: A cousin of flakka, this drug is part of the bath salt family. Made from the fast-acting stimulant mephedrone, it is usually found as a white powder and sold online as a plant fertilizer.
THE “CHEAP”: it gives the body the equivalent of a cocaine and ecstasy cocktail. There is an increase in euphoria and agitation. Hallucinations may also occur.
ACTION ON THE BODY: meow meow abuse can cause serious side effects such as extreme paranoia, hallucinations, heart attacks and bouts of schizophrenia, especially if the user suffers from mental illness
7) FLAKKA
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Smoking, inhalation, injection or ingestion
PRICE: $5 a shot
DESCRIPTION: Cheap and with hallucinogenic effects, it is a type of bath salt, the name given to a vast group of synthetic drugs with a format similar to that of small crystals. Bath salts are made from substances chemically similar to cathinone, a compound obtained from the African bush khat (catha edulis)
THE “CHEAP”: releases dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters associated with feelings of pleasure and euphoria. In large quantities, it can generate intense delirium.
ACTION ON THE BODY: raises the body temperature to over 40 degrees (hyperthermia), which can permanently damage the kidneys. It also causes tachycardia and increased blood pressure.
8) DOB
METHOD OF CONSUMPTION: Ingestion or paper under tongue
PRICE: R$ 200 the stamp
DESCRIPTION: It is a psychoactive substance derived from amphetamines (central nervous system stimulant drug) with the addition of a bromine atom. Similar to ecstasy, it is usually sold in transparent capsules with a capacity of 500 mg, but which only contain between 1 and 1.5 mg of the substance – hence its nickname, “wind capsule”.
THE “CHEAP”: it provides visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations, acceleration of thought and the so-called synesthesia, a situation in which colors have sound and sounds have color. May encourage irrational outbursts of violence
ACTION ON THE BODY: in high doses, it produces memory loss, nausea and causes muscle spasms in the lower limbs
– (Lambuja/Strange World)
HOW A PSYCHOACTIVE WORKS IN THE BRAIN
1. Our brain is made up of billions of neurons, which send and receive messages in the form of electrical signals and chemical stimuli, promoting the passage of information. Neurons are basically divided into three parts: cell body, axons, and dendrites.
two. Shaped like a long tail, the axon is responsible for transmitting electrical and chemical impulses, which are received by the dendrite of another neuron (the so-called synapse). Neurons never touch, and between them there is a space called the synaptic cleft.
3. These released substances are called neurotransmitters. Drugs, because they are chemical molecules, act exactly on this communication between neurons, altering the performance of neurotransmitters
– (Lambuja/Strange World)