August 08, 2017
New Jersey has banned an addictive, synthetic drug that can have scary and extreme effects on users.
Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill into law Monday that criminalizes the possession and sale of alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone, which is commonly known as "flakka," "flocka" or "gravel."
According to NJ.com, the drug is currently available in some New Jersey smoke shops and convenience stores. It's edible and cheap (about $3-$5 a dose), and its effects range from hallucinations to causing users to become psychotic or violent.
A CNN story on the drug, which first started showing up in Florida in 2011, has more on what it does:
A small overdose of the drug, which can be smoked, injected, snorted or injected, can lead to a range of extreme symptoms: "excited delirium," as experts call it, marked by violent behavior; spikes in body temperature (105 degrees and higher, Hall said); paranoia. Probably what has brought flakka the most attention is that it gives users what feels like the strength and fury of the Incredible Hulk.
Those who used the drug ended up in some pretty bizarre news stories, such as the Florida man who tried to break through hurricane-proof doors and incidents like the one seen in the video below:
The drug's potency and it's prevalence in Florida a couple years ago drove medical professionals in the state up a wall, with one emergency room doctor calling it "five-dollar insanity" and a treatment center director calling it "far worse than crack."
The bill criminalizing the drug in New Jersey goes into effect immediately.
