Weird crimes in Florida have a lot of people asking, what is Flakka? 
Flakka is the latest, designer synthetic drug. It’s a man-made, powder stimulant (alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone) that can be vaped, snorted, eaten or smoked. The reported effects, similar to stories associated with bath salts, are murderous rage, violence and paranoia. The drug has been around for about a decade, but has recently gained popularity, especially Florida, Alabama, Texas and Mississippi. Will it hit Georgia?
The drug is also known as “gravel” (it has been described as looking like off-white, aquarium gravel) and can cost as little as $5. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution , the drug can easily be ordered by mail and causes “temporary insanity.” This is evident in a string of bizarre crimes in Florida in which flakka was involved.
Officials believe the drug acts quickly to rewire the brain’s chemistry, playing with neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, and causes a person to lose control of their thoughts and actions. They experience very heightened paranoia and often think someone is chasing them.
The drug is sold in crystal form and is snorted, mixed with food, drunk in tea, pressed in pill, or smoked in electronic cigarettes. It can also be injected which is extremely dangerous because it’s often cut with dirt, talc, etc. The side effects are agitation, extreme aggression, psychosis, rapid heart rate, and severe hallucinations. The drug can cause high blood pressure, seizures, as well as hyperthermia (in which the body’s temperature can reach 108 degrees). Users are mostly men in their teens, 20s and 30s.
If you suspect that someone you know is using flakka, reach out to one of our specialists to help get the situation under control. As with any type of street drug, there is the added danger of no quality control. This means that every time it’s an unknown drug of an unknown dose.
