In August 2016, police found 19-year-old Florida State University student trying to bite off part of the face of a man he'd allegedly just stabbed to death. It took four sheriff's deputies and a police dog to subdue the shirtless teenager, who'd also apparently stabbed the man's wife to death at their home in Jupiter, Florida. There's no evidence that the kid knew the victims and he had no criminal record. He's currently on a respirator in life-threatening condition.
While the Martin County Sheriff's office is still awaiting full toxicology results, they suspect that the student overdosed on the drug flakka, because he exhibited some of the telltale signs, like abnormal strength, removal of clothing, and making animal sounds. But what exactly is flakka?
The newest, most dangerous illegal drug now has a name: its called flakka. In some parts of the country, it also goes by "gravel" because of its white crystal chunks that have been compared to aquarium gravel. Flakka gets its name from Spanish slang for a beautiful woman ("la flaca"), contains a chemical that is a close cousin to MDPV, a key ingredient in "bath salts." These chemicals bind and thwart molecules on the surface of neurons that normally keep the levels of mood-regulating neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, in check.
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The man-made drug causes a high similar to cocaine. But flakka has the potential to be much more dangerous than cocaine. Here's why:
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); paranoia. Probably what has brought flakka the most attention is that it gives users what feels like "super strength" and the anger and fury of someone like the Incredible Hulk.
Like a lot illegal synthetic drugs, the bulk of flakka seems to come from China and is either sold over the Internet or through gas stations or other dealers. A dose can go for as little as $3 to $5, which makes it a cheap alternative to cocaine. Dealers often target young and poor people and also try to enlist homeless people to buy and sell
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Flakka stories are have been rolling in. In 2015, A man in South Florida who...
...broke down the hurricane-proof doors of a police department admitted to being on flakka. A girl in Melbourne, Florida, ran through the street screaming that she was Satan while on flakka. Authorities continue to warn people about the dangers of the drug.
A potentially life-changing side effect of flakka is its effect on your kidneys. The drug can cause muscles to break down, as a result of hyperthermia, taking a toll on kidneys. Experts worry that some survivors of flakka overdoses may be on dialysis for the rest of their life.
Although a typical flakka high can last one to several hours, it is possible that the neurological effects can be permanent. Not only does the drug sit on neurons, it could also destroy them, Hall said. And because flakka, like bath salts, hang around in the brain for longer than cocaine, the extent of the destruction could be greater.
As one doctor explains it, it's one bad trip:
"This is where the body goes into hyperthermia, generally a temperature of 105 degrees. The individual becomes psychotic. They often rip off their clothes and run out into the street violently and have an adrenaline-like strength, and police are called and it takes four or five officers to restrain them. Then, once they are restrained, if they don't receive immediate medical attention they can die."
