"Synthetic" drugs show increase in Avoyelles

 

 By Raymond L. Daye
Synthetic marijuana and other synthetic drugs are being seen more often by parish law enforcement officers  than in the past, and parents are being urged to take a more active role in warning their children about the dangers of this new threat. Officials say it is not just the law-abiding public who should be concerned about this new danger. It is, literally, a case of “Buyer Beware” as well.
 
Some of these substances fall into a class called “bath salts,” which are crystallized chemical compounds, Avoyelles Parish Chief Deputy Steve Martel said.  Most of these fall into a “controlled dangerous substance” category and are illegal. Most, but not all.
 
“Synthetic marijuana” is a chemical that is sprayed on an herbal material with the intent being to mimic the effects of marijuana for the user. “Bath salts” drugs are not the same thing as Epsom salt and other bath crystals. 
 
Martel said the Sheriff’s Office has had several lab results on suspicious substances come back as “not a CDS”because the chemical has not yet been declared an illegal substance.
 
“Those who are tempted to buy and use the synthetic marijuana need to know that it may be treated with insecticide,” Martel said. “What they have done is spray it with roach spray.”  
 
Lest you think the drug users have found a way to beat the system, Martel hastens to add that the roach spray- soaked substance “causes the user to go into convulsions.”
 
Marksville Police Chief Elster Smith said city narcotics officers have not seen an increase in synthetics in Marksville, but the chemist-created drugs are still widely present on the city streets. “They are about the same level as they have been,” he said.  The city’s drug problem is still with “marijuana, prescription pills and some crack cocaine.”
 
Smith said he is aware of warnings from law enforcement agencies in other states of a new type of “bath salt” drug. “Flakka,” also called “gravel,” is an enhanced “bath salt” crystal. It is considered super-dangerous because it is inexpensive -- Smith said he was told it sells for about $5 a hit -- and creates an immediate sense of euphoria and a boost in physical strength similar to that caused by stimulants such as Ecstasy and cocaine.
 
It also causes heart palpitations, aggressive and violent behavior and damages the kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure and death. 
 
While pharmaceutical pills are still the most prevalent drugs in Avoyelles, and meth is an alarming second, the “synthetics” -- “fake weed” and bath salts -- have passed marijuana to take third place, Martel said.
 
The number of drug arrests per week varies significantly, Martel said. “Some weeks there are only a few, and in others we may have a sweep and pick up 20 at one time,” he said. Martel said there have been 150 drug-related arrests so far this year.
 
As far as a “trend” goes, “we are seeing an increase in meth, bath salts and synthetic marijuana. We are also seeing more crimes committed by persons under the influence of synthetics.”
 
The most disturbing trend in drug use in the parish is the increase in juveniles arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana. Those arrests are not reflected in the parish totals because they are juveniles.
 
“Juvenile use of what they call ‘legal weed’ has grown dramatically,” Martel said.
 
Of course, most of the “legal weed” is not legal, but some of it may be lethal due to the chemicals sprayed on it to give the user the “high” they crave.
 
The public also needs to know that the “bath salts” created by talented criminal chemists also create agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, chest pain, increased pulse, high blood pressure and suicidal thoughts and behavior. There have been several instances elsewhere in the country where suicides occurred a few days after the other effects of the drug had worn off.
 
Government, health, law enforcement and other agencies have chemical compounds declared illegal and thus fall under the drug laws, but chemists change the compounds to make them “legal,” Martel said.
 
While the dealers of these re-designed designer drugs might escape arrest and prosecution for the time being, many of their customers are going to ERs -- or morgues.
 
Drugs on the “Controlled Dangerous Substance” lists are controlled by law and are dangerous substances. The designer drugs are “uncontrolled” by the law, but still “dangerous substances” in the hands of dealers who care only for the profits to be made from the sales and nothing for the health of those who buy them.