Do You Know What Your Street Drugs are Laced With?
Buying drugs from street dealers has always been dangerous, but in the past five years there has been a notable spike in the number of harmful substances found in street drugs. In the wake of the opioid crisis – now more than ever – drug users have no idea what they are getting when they purchase illegal dope.
We want to do our part to decrease the number of fatal drug overdoses happening every year. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that in 2017, approximately 70,200 Americans died from a deadly overdose. We wonder how many of these tragic deaths was caused because someone bought dope that was laced with a chemical additive.
In this article, we want to educate you about the reality of buying drugs on the street. If you are addicted, be careful. It’s dangerous out there. That next bag could be your last, and there is a solution (recovery).
Fentanyl is the Number One Offender
Among all the chemical additives dealers are lacing their drugs with, Fentanyl is by far the most deadly. It is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin.
Fentanyl is coming into the United States illegally from foreign markets. Underground labs in places like China, Mexico, and Canada are cranking out the stuff and shipping it into the country. Believe it or not, it is relatively easy to get synthetic Fentanyl. You can buy it over the Internet and most shipments make it through customs.
Many street dealers are buying Fentanyl in powder form and adding it to heroin. This makes the product go further (which increases profits), it is cheaper, and it is produces a very intense high. The problem is, heroin users do not know their dope is laced with Fentanyl. It only takes a very low dose of this stuff to cause a fatal overdose.
NIDA reports that in 2017, about 28,400 overdose deaths were caused by Fentanyl. Experts suggest that the majority of these deaths were accidental; caused when someone unknowingly used heroin laced with Fentanyl.
Cocaine is Loaded With Harmful Toxins
Most cocaine addicts don’t know it, but by the time most coke or crack makes it to the streets, it only contains about 20 percent of actual cocaine. The remaining 80 percent consists of chemical additives that have been used to “cut” the product to make it go further. When dealers add fillers to their stash, they bring in more money. It’s about quantity, not quality.
So, you ask, what is in cocaine when you buy it off the street? Here are just a few of the many ingredients you might find in powdered or rocked cocaine:
- Caffeine powder
- Amphetamines like Adderall
- Levamisole (a medication used to treat parasites)
- Gasoline
- Strychnine or arsenic (both used as rat poisoning)
- Lidocaine (which is a numbing agent used by dentists)
- Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda)
- Magnesium sulfate (also known as Epsom salts)
The bottom line is that today’s street cocaine is hardly cocaine at all. When you buy it off the streets, you are basically buying a harmful chemical concoction designed to make you think it is cocaine.
Do You Know What Crystal Meth is Made Of?
Crystal meth is absolute poison. This is evidenced by what it does to meth users. Those who use this drug regularly for a prolonged period of time have sores all over their face, rotten teeth, and abscesses on their body. They are malnourished, dehydrated, and completely delusional. The stuff is completely toxic to the system.
Unlike cocaine and heroin, meth does not originally come from a plant. It is completely synthetic and manmade. This stuff is cooked up in illegal meth labs or produced by those who know how to make it without heat. Nothing about the process of making meth is safe or sanitary.
Meth is made using amphetamine substances which might include legal stimulants like Ritalin. Other ingredients include ephedrine or pseudoephedrine (common cold medications), ammonia hydroxide (which is a household cleaning product), battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel, and antifreeze.
WHAT!?
Yes, you read that right. Every single time someone uses crystal meth, they are putting nothing but deadly, toxic chemicals in their system. (Do you know how dangerous antifreeze is?)
Marijuana is Safe, Though, Right!?
Most pot smokers think they can’t go wrong with weed. After all, it grows from the earth and produces a natural high…. doesn’t it? Think again! Even with ganja, you have no idea what you are getting when you buy the stuff – even if you purchase it from a licensed dispensary.
Once upon a time, marijuana was grown completely naturally in wide open fields monitored by professional growers. Those days are almost completely gone. Now, marijuana is genetically engineered and is often grown indoors either in a lab or a grow room.
Now legal for recreational use in a number of states, this substance is almost completely unregulated. This leaves the cultivation of pot entirely in the hands of the people producing it. (And, remember, weed is a multi-million-dollar industry.) You think you are buying a safe product, when in reality you have no idea what is in it. Today’s marijuana often contains butane, heavy metals, pesticides, rubbing alcohol, and other harmful substances.
Also, when you buy marijuana on the street, you have no idea what the stuff is laced with. It could contain Fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, meth, or PCP. It might also contain a marijuana alternative like Spice or Kush, which has been known to causes users to get psychotic and hallucinate.
MDMA/Ecstasy: The Deceptive Party Drug
MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or molly, is often seen as one of the more harmless drugs on the street. Known primarily as a party drug, ecstasy makes the user feel intoxicated and euphoric. However, what many users don’t realize is that street-purchased molly sometimes includes small amounts of other dangerous substances, like methamphetamine or bath salts.
Using ecstasy bought on the street may lead to severe dehydration, heart issues, and in some cases, irreversible neurological damage. The deceptive nature of this drug lies in its unpredictable makeup, and each use is a risky gamble.
LSD: A Hallucinogenic Wild Card
Sometimes called “acid,” LSD has powerful hallucinogenic effects. The danger of buying hallucinogens like this one on the street lies in its unpredictability – you never know if what you’re getting is pure or something else entirely.
Cases abound of LSD substituted with more harmful synthetic hallucinogens, leading to unexpected and sometimes dangerous side effects. Buying drugs on the street, including hallucinogens like acid, may result in side effects like serious long-term mental health issues, including psychosis.
Synthetic Cannabinoids: Not Your Typical Marijuana
Often sold as “spice” or “K2,” Synthetic Cannabinoids are far from safe alternatives to marijuana.
These lab-made chemicals are sprayed onto plant material and become several times stronger than THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. Their unpredictable effects may lead to severe health issues like rapid heart rate, violent behavior, and even seizures. The myth that they are a safe substitute for marijuana leads to multiple health emergencies each year.
Prescription Pills: A Dangerous Game
The illegal market for prescription drugs on the street such as OxyContin, Xanax, and Adderall keeps growing. The risk with these drugs is the high possibility of counterfeiting. Fake prescription drugs like these may be laced with deadly substances like fentanyl. The misuse of these medications often leads to addiction, severe health complications, or overdose. The illegal purchase of street drugs also carries legal risks, with serious implications for those caught with these substances.
Bath Salts (Synthetic Cathinones): A Toxic Brew
Bath Salts, chemically known as synthetic cathinones, are nothing like the name suggests.
These powerful synthetic stimulants cause extreme agitation, hallucinations, and even violent behavior. The composition of these drugs is often unknown, making them incredibly dangerous. Even with the known risks of drugs like bath salts, many reports exist of health emergencies and even deaths caused by use of these stimulants.
Ketamine: More Than a Club Drug
Originally used as an anesthetic, ketamine is extremely popular in the club scene and is one of the most-sold drugs on the street. However, the danger of drugs like ketamine comes at high doses. When using high doses, users risk entering a ‘k-hole’, an intense dissociative state that can lead to severe disorientation and long-term cognitive problems. Ketamine’s potent sedative effects also make it a drug of choice for sexual predators.
Buying Drugs on the Streets: Is it Really Worth the Risk?
We cannot stress this enough – every single time you buy drugs, you are putting your health and your life at risk. Is it really worth it? Sure you might get a buzz that lasts a few minutes, but at what cost?
The most obvious way to avoid buying drugs laced with chemical additives is to stop using drugs. However; we recognize that this is easier said than done. If you are addicted to a powerful substance like heroin, cocaine, or crystal meth, you are probably going to need addiction treatment to get your life back on track.
At New Directions for Women, we are on the front lines of the country’s addiction epidemic every single day, fighting to get women into recovery. We specialize in treating women of all ages, pregnant women, and women with children. Many of the women who come to see us barely escaped their addiction with their lives.
If you are ready to find freedom from the bondage of addiction, we are here to help.
Need some motivation to get sober? Here are 7 awesome things that happen when you get sober.
