The uptick in designer drug use is almost as frightening as its side effects. What used to be an average of five new substances per year has developed into an international profit-generating machine with a new substance appearing nearly every week--at least, that's the report from Europe.
Thousands of these chemical substances are estimated to exist on the market, and experts are concerned about the health risks involved.
Designer Drugs
Designer drugs like bath salts and synthetic marijuana are potent, mind-altering substances that cause violent behavior, psychotic breaks and suicide. Users say their high is often frightening and unpleasant. So why the increase in popularity?
Some speculate that it's a matter of brilliant marketing. These chemicals were only recently outlawed, so it is easy to promote them as safer alternatives to traditional drugs. Additionally, they are hard to detect in standard drug tests, so people trying to avoid suspicion are interested in trying them. And last but not least, these drugs are highly addictive--often hooking people after just one use.
Teens are particularly vulnerable to this scheme, buying into promises of an easy high. The packages look inviting and they can order them online, and their parents have never heard of them so they can avoid scrutiny.
Dangerous Highs
Designer drugs have an unusual ability to hook on and keep someone high for days, sometimes even weeks. The trouble with this is that their high often drives them to madness, as it can include vivid hallucinations, paranoia, panic attacks, hyperthermia, and psychotic behavior. This is why a number of these incidents result in suicide.
Many users have displayed erratic, violent behavior that is a danger to others. One notorious display of violence was the "Miami Zombie", a man high on bath salts who attacked a homeless man and ate his face off. When police arrived on the scene, the only way they could get him to stop was by shooting him to death. He displayed a fearless, barbaric manner which is a typical in such cases. Many who have made it through such a high describe the feeling as superhuman.
International Attention
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) issued its annual report in time for a UN meeting on the international drug scene. Designer drugs were at the top of their list, reporting an unprecedented surge in these chemical substances.
Not only has the manufacture and sale increased, emergency room visits and calls to poison control centers regarding dangerous side effects from designer drugs is higher than ever.
Amateur chemists need only alter a few molecules of a formula to come up with a new product that authorities have never heard of, let alone seen laws against. Experts believe that this is the key reason for their inexplicable popularity. Users easily fall victim to clever marketing in an effort to promote "legal highs" that are merely about big profits.
Designer drugs have been a serious problem for some time now but, they don't have to be. If you know someone with a designer drug problem contact Vista Bay drug rehab now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_M_Manson
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