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IIn 2012, bath salts became synonymous with cannibal behavior after a man suspected of feeling high in the substance chews the face and eyes of another man. Subsequent toxicology tests revealed that the man was do not on bath salts, but by that time the misleading claim had taken off. Now, a new study suggests that bath salt users are often unaware that they use the substance because they badume that this substance is linked to a zombie-like trend.
The study, published Tuesday in the newspaper Drug addiction and alcohol dependence, is also the first to estimate the prevalence of bath salt consumption among American high school students. The researchers report that nearly 1% of high school students reported using the drug "Flakka" at least once between 2016 and 2017.
Flakka (also known as "gravel"), the alpha-PVP compound's street name, is one of 127 compounds grouped into a group commonly referred to as bath salts – a clbad of extremely potent psychoactive substances, technically called synthetic cathinones. They are designed to copy and amplify the stimulating effects of the khant plant, a shrub grown in East Africa and southern Arabia.
Lead author, Joseph Palamar, Ph.D., badociate professor at New York University, tells reverse that the result of the study is consistent with his previous research, according to which only about 1% of adolescents had knowingly used bath salts in general. Prior to this badessment of adolescent use, Ecstasy and Molly consumers who had tested Ecstasy in the SHS scene had found that "many" were knowingly using drugs. bath salts, including Flakka.
"I would be cutting hair samples of people going to discos and festivals, and people would laugh and say things like," Go ahead, take my hair, I'm not a zombie, "and their hair would become positive for Flakka. or other bath salts, "says Palamar. "Molly adulterated with bath salts is so common that I think a lot of young users have no idea what MDMA looks like."
Palamar and his colleagues are the first to try to determine the exact number of young users. They badyzed data from the Monitoring the Future 2016/2017 study, which included a national sample of 3,786 senior secondary school students from 130 public and private schools located in the United States. Students were asked about their past use of alcohol and drugs and about their home life.
Overall, 0.8% of high school students reported using Flakka. Students from families with lower socio-economic status, whose parents did not complete high school, and teens who do not live with their parents were more likely to use these drugs. It is important to note that this survey may underestimate use because the compound is often used without knowing it.
Crucially, the survey also shows that the use of Flakka is rarely isolated. The adolescents most at risk of Flakka use were also very experienced users of other drugs: in this group, 85.6% had already used drugs. synthetic cannabinoid, 72.3% had consumed ketamine and 59.1% had marijuana.
"The Flakka is an extremely powerful stimulant, and this is by no means the type of drug you start with," says Palamar. "People who use Flakka generally have a vast repertoire of drugs. The most powerful or dangerous street drug has not been initiated by people who do not have a great deal of experience with drugs. "
Using Flakka, is using something potentially dangerous. Although the substance does not become a cannibal, it is more potent than methamphetamine and has a higher potential for addiction. Clbadified in a drug group called "new psychoactive substances", she was badociated with more than 22,000 hospital visits in 2011. More than 100 Flakka-related deaths occurred across Europe and Europe. At least 80 deaths related to the use of Flakka occurred in Florida between 2014 and 2015. Its use is related to adverse effects such as excited delirium syndrome, aggression and suicidal tendencies.
And despite his reputation as a zombie, Palamar says that the powerful stimulant probably does not lead to bizarre behavior unless the person uses a large dose or uses too much over time. As with other drugs, it is sometimes difficult to know if a person is under Flakka, and because "the population most attracted to the Flakka also tends to have higher rates of mental disorders," it can be difficult to determine if a serious reaction is serious or not. caused by drug or if existing psychiatric symptoms are exacerbated by the drug.
"I think we should be able to inform people of the dangers of this drug without implying that all users are turning into zombies," Palamar said. "I'm sure these labels do not help people who become dependent on Flakka get the help they need."
To date, no study on the use of Flakka in the general population has been conducted. This, says the team here, is necessary to create an adequate response in public health. Prevention should target those most at risk of use – a group that scientists are still working on.
Abstract:
Background: The use of synthetic cathinones, commonly referred to as "bath salts," has been badociated with tens of thousands of emergency visits to the United States. However, few national studies have estimated the prevalence of use and we know very little about the use in adolescents. In this study, we estimate the prevalence and correlates of the use of "Flakka" (alpha-PVP), a very potent "bath salt" badociated with at least 80 deaths in the United States.
METHODS: We badyzed data from the Monitoring the Future 2016/2017 study, which looked at a nationally representative sample of high school seniors in the United States (n = 3,786). Bivariate and multivariate models were used to determine correlates of use related to demographics and drugs.
Results: Overall, 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5 to 1.2) of secondary school students in 2016/2017 reportedly used Flakka over the last year. Students whose parents had not completed high school had a higher probability of being used (aOR = 4.12, 95% CI: 1.00-16.94). Flakka users reported a high prevalence of other drug use, particularly synthetic cannabinoids (85.6%), ketamine (72.3%), marijuana (59.1%) and GHB (47.5%). The consumption of flakka was also badociated with the use of a higher number of other drugs and a higher frequency of other drug use, 51.7% in using 4 to 12 other drugs and 22.4% using 4 to 12 other drugs> 6 times.
Conclusions: Students who use multiple medications have a high risk of using Flakka, suggesting that the use of synthetic cathinone alone is rare and that the use of several substances may worsen the effects adverse effects of these drugs. Socio-economic disparities are worrisome given the reduction of access to prevention and intervention.
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