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Jason Mosher

Sheriff's Journal

Vernon County Sheriff.

Opinion

A new wave of drugs affecting us all

Saturday, August 5, 2017

For quite some time, methamphetamines have been the dominant drug in the world of illegal drugs in this area. For years the most common way to obtain the drug in the Midwest was to make it in your basement or garage. Over the last few years however, local “meth labs” have become almost non-existent because of the ease with which the drug can be purchased in large cities.

The purity is also of a much higher quality because it is now coming from Mexico where it can be manufactured on a commercial basis. This drug not only kills the person who abuses it, but it also tears families apart and causes society in general to deteriorate. When you deal with this drug and the effect it has on people, you start to think that it does not get any worse than this but sadly that is not the case.

A new wave of drugs is starting to become more and more popular and they are killing at an even faster pace than methamphetamine alone. The first is a methamphetamine base that is being mixed with the powerful drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is a prescription drug that is fast becoming one of the most sought-after drugs on the black market. It is being mixed with meth, marijuana and heroin. The rate of overdose is very high with this combination of drugs and much of the time, it is being mixed into the drug without the user’s knowledge.

Another drug that is rapidly spreading across the U.S. is a drug called “flakka.” Flakka is a synthetically made drug that is similar to the chemicals used in bath salts. Flakka can be smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed and the side effects are even worse than the strongest methamphetamines.

It is common for people to take this drug with other drugs and it causes health issues almost immediately. Like the side effects we saw with bath salts, temperatures of more than 104 degrees, a high heart rate and hallucinations take place shortly after the drug is used. People who begin to overdose on this drug start to strip off their clothes because they become too hot, and for a short time they possess an unbelievable strength because of their increased heart rate.

In February of 2015, a man by the name of James West was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after he attempted to break into the Police Headquarters building while high on flakka. Police described him as having “super-human strength” and said he was trying to break in because all the cars on Broward Boulevard were out to get him and he needed help. It sounds like he needed help, but maybe not that kind!

When it comes to illegal drugs, many people do not think of the consequences before they decide to give it a try.

If we are going to make a difference in our community and country that is being negatively affected by these drugs, it will take everyone doing their part. It will take law enforcement, courts, schools, and local businesses working together. It will take someone who is willing to stand up and to those who are about to make that wrong choice, and help them to make the right one.