The secrets behind synthetics

The chemical makeup of drugs in the possession of high school students aren’t exactly what they seem. Whether it’s Molly, Bath salts or Spice, many unknown substances become popularized, leading to a widespread population of teeneagers facing unseen potential dangers every time the user pops, eats and smokes these substances.

During the four years of high school, many teenagers experiment and have a carefree mindset when it comes to drugs. High school users most frequently smoke marijuana (better known as weed), over other illegal drugs. However, a world of synthetic drugs known by varying street names exists that not many people know the ins and outs of, and the dangers associated with them.

“I think they’re bad because when you’re buying them, you might not be given what you paid for,” sophomore Jose Isaza said. “You could be given something much more dangerous than you expected.”  

Popping MDMA (Molly), is not uncommon for the typical raver. With bright lights, loud music and energy surging through their bodies, it’s the ideal setting to get high. A Molly high stimulates its users’ bodies with euphoria and faster heart beats. It’s common side effects include sweating, jaw clenching and when the high has ended, feelings of depression. Molly evolved from the drug ecstasy into a chemical cocktail of irregular amounts of synthetic designer drugs. Because Molly isn’t regulated, sellers can throw whatever they want into it. Therefore, users have no way of knowing what they’re buying. A high number of deaths have been linked to what the user thought was Molly, but actually was a concentrated toxic makeup of chemicals sent illegally to the U.S. from China. With new chemicals being thrown into the concoction constantly, the user truly has no idea what they’re ingesting when they pop a Molly.

In addition to Molly, bath salts are used by some teenagers. A synthetic cathinone drug the substance is categorized as a stimulus hallucinatic. A high off of bath salts compares to the high experienced from methamphetamine, better known as meth. Bath salts affect the body by giving the user unusually fast heart beats, hallucination, suicidal and homicidal urges. On top of bath salts being extremely addictive, their ingredients also increase a user’s tolerance to other drugs. In other words, the intended dosage for a drug to produce a high won’t be felt to the same extent because your body can handle more. Because of an increased tolerance, drug users will often move to stronger and more dangerous drugs in order to fulfill their cravings and desire to get high. Bath salts are sold in little foil packages that are inconspicuously labeled with names such as “jewelry cleaner”, or “not for human consumption”.

“I think people who do synthetic drugs are stupid,” sophomore Nicole Poplewko said. “They actually have no idea what they’re even doing.”

Bath salts can be taken through snorting or injection. Like Molly, the ingredients in bath salts vary in different packages. Because of the irregularity of the composition of these synthetic drugs, the reactions, highs and health effects cannot be predicted. Unlike alcohol poisoning, an overdose on bath salts is nearly impossible for doctors to counteract. With hundreds of unknown chemicals in large quantities in the body, doctors struggle to figure out how to save the user. Also, some chemicals in bath salts go undetected in urine and blood tests. In the event of an overdose, a doctor may not be able to figure out what the user is on, which could have fatal consequences. There have been many recent deaths because of bath salts. A drug user may unknowingly purchase bath salts when trying to buy Molly or Ecstasy because bath salts are easier to obtain and cheaper to make.

The biggest danger caused by synthetic drugs are their unknown makeup. Inside one dose lies thousand of chemicals that are ever changing, extremely harmful and dangerous.

“You have no idea how dangerous they are because drug dealers throw fillers and whatever they want in there,” senior Garet Weinstein said. “You’ll never know because it’s all synthetic. Nothing’s pure, no matter what they try to tell you.”

An altered form of marijuana, known as spice, contains added chemicals that cause hallucinations and paranoia. Similar to marijuana, spice users also experience relaxation and elated mood. Unlike pure marijuana, however, the chemicals in spice are unknown and could therefore cause an unpredictably strong high. Unforeseen effects of spice could be vomiting, confusion and rapid heart beat. Many teenagers believe that pure marijuana is a natural plant and therefore safe. Spice, which is NOT pure marijuana, has been falsely labeled “natural” and could trick uneducated teenagers into smoking a combination of multiple unnatural and unknown substances, which could result in serious health consequences.

The world of synthetic drugs opens up doors to extreme dangers every time a user gets high.

Molly, bath salts and spice are only three examples of thousands and thousands of drugs that are out there. Simply adding one chemical to a substance can completely change the results of taking it. Also, with the drug industry continuously changing their products, the drugs carry huge inconsistencies among their make up.

Even pills sold in the same bag could be far from the same.