what’s new in the drug world! a discussion about local and national drug trends ben stevenson ii,...
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What’s New in the Drug World!
A Discussion about Local and National Drug Trends
Ben Stevenson II, CPP, CSAPC
Montgomery County Health and
Human Services
Norms for today
Start and end on timeEach is a resource to the group
Ask for clarificationHave fun
Agenda• Introduction• Norms/Agenda• POP Up if…• What are psychoactive drugs?• Currently Trending
– Alcohol– Marijuana v. K2– Bath Salts– Opiates/Prescription Drugs– Cough Medicine– Ecstasy/Molly
• Name that Drug• Q&A/Closure
Pop Up If….
• You have traveled to a foreign country…
• You know what Flakka is…
• You have heard of Double cupping…
• You know what the #1 abused prescription is…
• You know someone has been hurt by drug use (either their own use or someone else's)…
What is a Psychoactive Drug?
• A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical that alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behavior. Such drugs are often used for recreational and spiritual purposes, as well as in medicine, especially for treating neurological and psychological illnesses.
#1 Abused Drug
• ALCOHOL
Alcohol Trends• Over 60% of MD high school students had at least one drink in their
lifetime.
• Drinking & driving is still a problem. 20% of MD high school students rode in a car driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol.
• 17% of MD high school students have had 5 or more drinks in a row within a couple of hours (binge drinking).
• ~2013 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Stealth Alcohol Containers
Flask Belt buckle
Alcohol B
ra
Flask Sandals
Water Bottle
Alcohol Trends
• Beer Sleeves
• Tamponing
TrendingKnockout• https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=8kHIQNyu8KQ
• Of youth, ages 12-17, who drank within the past year, 39% had reported one serious problem and 18% had built up tolerance
• Youth who begin drinking before 15 are 4 times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who wait until 21
• Alcohol consumption by college students is involved in 1,700 deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault each year
• Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined
Read the Fine Print
source: www.familyfirstaid.org
source: Marin Institute
Marijuana v. K2
Stealth Pipes
Smoke products
Marijuana
• Cannabis Sativa (hemp)– most common– high concentration of fiber and still used for hemp– typical plant produces 1-5 lbs of buds and smokable leaves
• Cannabis Indica (most psychoactive)– shorter and bushier– stronger/smellier (“skunk weed”)– usually the base plant for “sinsemilla” (without seeds)
• Cannabis Ruderalis (Russian variety)– putative species of Cannabis– Lower THC content which cause little recreational use– Known as the forgotten 3rd strand
Marijuana Types
Cannibus Trends
• 23 states and DC have enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana
• In Maryland over 35% of high school students reported marijuana use one or more times during their life.
• In Maryland over 19% of high school students reported use one or more time in the past 30 days
Changes in Society • 55% of Americans support legislative
efforts to legalize marijuana, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
• Medical Benefits• $184 Million in new tax revenue• Colorado reports a 77% decrease in state
court marijuana cases.• Less people in jail• Treat as a disease so Offenders get
treatment
Marijuana and Mental Health Issues
• Associations have been found between marijuana use and:– Mental health problems– Depression– Anxiety– Suicidal thoughts among adolescents, and
personality disturbances.– Lack of motivation to engage in typically
rewarding activities.
Marijuana Cocktails
Chocolate Buds
WHAT ARE SYNTHETIC DRUGS? • Synthetic drugs are chemically laced substances similar to
marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine that are sold over the counter at some convenience stores, gas stations and tobacco shops.
• Based on their chemical make-up, these drugs are commonly divided into two categories:
Cannabinoids • Popularly known as K2 or Spice, cannabinoids are chemically
formulated versions of synthetic marijuana • that consist of lab-manufactured THC.
Cathinones • Often known as “bath salts”, cathinones contain chemical
compounds that mimic the effects of cocaine or meth. – Flakka– Bath Salts
K2/Spice/Fake Weed
• DECEPTIVE PACKAGING • Because they are sold as incense, products like Spice,
G-Four, K2 and Mojo don’t have to list all of their ingredients.
• The ingredients that they don’t list are potentially dangerous and mind-altering!
• Spice, sold as “herbal smoking mixture”, is clearly marked as not for human consumption. It can contain untested chemicals, with unknown toxicity, addiction potential, long-term effects and allergic reactions. In other words… unknown danger. The users have no way of knowing which of the experimental chemicals they are taking. Each batch can be different.
K2/Spice• Synthetic marijuana is a new and major
concern.
• herbal mixtures laced with synthetic cannabinoids, chemicals that act in the brain similarly to THC
• could be obtained legally until recently and are still wrongly perceived as a safe alternative to marijuana
• often marketed as "herbal incense"
• Spice does not cause a positive drug test for cannabis or other illegal drugs
K2/Spice
• is currently illegal in Maryland
• The Maryland notice lists several chemical compounds in materials from crime labs, including MAB-/AB-CHMINACA, FUBINACA, FUB-PB-22, and XLR11.
Brands and the
Chemical Compound
Statistical Data
• The 2012 DAWN Report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) states that toxicity due to synthetic marijuana resulted in 11,400 cases of emergency room visits in 2010.
• Synthetic Marijuana Often Undetected by Drug Tests for People on Parole or Probation-The Washington Post reports the study found that among a sample of young men from the Washington, D.C. parole and probation system, 39 percent tested positive for synthetic marijuana, even though they had passed a traditional drug screen.
Mixed Messages to our Youth
• Society wants marijuana legalized, yet THC levels are higher.– We argue the obvious, Is Marijuana harmful to
your health?– Yet we legalize it and then put edibles in
vending machines– What about Vaping? Isn’t it better than
smoking??
E-cigarettes
• are increasingly popular battery-operated devices marketed as a safer alternative to smoking conventional cigarettes.
• They produce flavored nicotine aerosol that looks and feels like tobacco smoke but without the tar or other chemicals produced by burning tobacco leaves.
• However, while e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, it is still unclear how safe they are. They still deliver nicotine, which is a highly addictive drug.
E-Cigarettes
• <script type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" src="http://www.nbcbayarea.com/portableplayer/?cmsID=225919341&videoID=3wJH2if1gWGM&origin=nbcbayarea.com&sec=news&subsec=local&width=600&height=360"></script>
Bath Salts
• Brand names include Blizzard, Blue Silk, Charge+, Ivory Snow, Ivory Wave, Ocean Burst, Pure Ivory, Purple Wave, Snow Leopard, Stardust, Vanilla Sky, White Dove, White Knight and White Lightning, Monkey Dust, Purple Rain, & White Rush
• can cause rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, chest pains, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia and delusions
• can lead to emotional and physical "crash-like" feelings of depression, anxiety and intense cravings
• contains amphetamine-like chemicals which can cause stroke, heart attack and sudden death
Flakka• Synthetic cathinone
• alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PDP)
• similar to other synthetic cathinone drugs popularly called "bath salts,"
• white or pink, foul-smelling crystal that can be eaten, snorted, injected, or vaporized in an e-cigarette or similar device
• can cause a condition called "excited delirium" that involves hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations that can lead to violent aggression and self-injury
Ways companies try to bypass the law
Packaging states:• products are not intended for human
consumption• the chemical compounds does not include
those that are illegal
Prescription Drugs/Opiates
Opiates/Prescription Drugs
• Prescription opiate addiction often leads to heroin addiction because heroin costs less and is easier to obtain.
• There may not be obvious side effects so use may go unnoticed. Many users are highly functioning. A teen in withdrawal from addiction to opiates may appear to have flu-like symptoms or claim to be sick frequently.
• ADHD medications are abused as study aids.
Prescription Drugs• In MD high school students, about 15 percent
reported nonmedical use of prescription medications in their life.
• We know that obtain the majority of prescription drugs from friends and relatives, sometimes without their knowledge
• Every day in the United States, 44 people die as a result of Rx drug overdose.
TOP 10 MOST ABUSED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
• OxyContin • Xanax• Vicodin• Suboxone• Adderall*• Valium• Percocet• Ambien• Fentanyl• Klonopin
Heroin Addiction
Heroin Use
• Heroin use has increased since 2011 because it’s more accessible and cheaper
• Users are not able to tell the purity or type of cutting agent used– Compare: Pills are easy to identify and effects users
based on the milligram (5, 10, 15, and 30) • Users can snort powder or inject • Very nasty and addictive drug• National trend, not just a local issue
Heroin Use and Deaths Rise
• The number of heroin users in the U.S. jumped almost 80% from 2007 (373,000) to 2012 (699,000).
• Overdose deaths attributed to heroin reached 3,094 in 2010, up 55% from 2000
• About 80% of people trying heroin for the first time previously used prescription pain drugs
• New users typically start off smoking or snorting the powder, then move on to injecting
Trending
• “Krokodil”-synthetic form of a heroin type drug
• Fentanyl– 30 -50 times more potent that heroin– A quarter of the overdose deaths in Md
involved heroin laced fentanyl
Cough Medicine• 33% of teens knows someone
who has abused cough medicine
• 6% of high school teens admit to abusing cough medicine containing DXM to get high in the past year
• Teens often abuse cough medicines with other prescription drugs, illicit drugs, or alcohol.
• DXM has dissociative effects and can cause serious damage, LIKE ILLICIT DRUGS.
www.stopmedicineabuse.org
“Purple Drank,” “Sizzurp,” “Lean”• Syrup- Drinking prescription-strength cough syrup
containing codeine and promethazine mixed with soda• has now become increasingly popular among youth in
several areas of the country. • Codeine is an opioid that can produce relaxation and
euphoria when consumed in sufficient quantities. • Promethazine is an antihistamine that also acts as a
sedative. Users may also flavor the mixture with the addition of hard candies.
• Double-cupping-when you are drinking prometh w/ codeine the condensation on the first cup is super sticky, making the second cup a shield from this
• MDMA or Ecstasy (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine), is a synthetic drug with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties. It is classified as a stimulant.
• Ecstasy (MDMA) use is seeing a resurgence among older teens
• Molly- slang for “molecular refers to the pure crystalline powder form of the club drug MDMA (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which in pill form is known as ecstasy.
• Slang names: Adam, E, Roll, X, XTC
MDMA
• Molly, which is usually purchased in capsules, has seen a surge in interest in the past few years, being celebrated frequently by popular music artists.
• MDMA in any form produces energy and euphoria in users but also may dangerously affect body temperature and cause confusion, depression, and sleep problems.
• Hundreds of “Molly” capsules tested in two South Florida crime labs in 2012, for example, contained methylone, a dangerous stimulant commonly found in “bath salts”.
• News reports elsewhere have reported “Molly” capsules containing cocaine, heroin, and other substances.
Other National Trends
• Caffiene Powder
• “N-bomb”-refers to any of three closely related synthetic hallucinogens (25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe) that are being sold as legal substitutes for LSD or mescaline.
Name that Drug
• Clue 1:I cause profound distortions in a person's perception of reality.
• Clue 2:My effects normally last from eight to twelve hours after a "tab" or "hit" is swallowed or placed on my tongue.
• Clue 3: I am sold on the street in small tablets (“microdots”), capsules or gelatin squares (“window panes”).
• Clue 4:Timothy Leary and The Greatful Dead are often associated with me.
A: Cocaine
B: LSD
C: Estacy
D: Methamphetamines
Name That Drug
Name That Drug
• Clue 1:I am a colorless, odorless, powerful and highly addictive synthetic (man-made) stimulant.
• Clue 2: My main ingredient is DXM
• Clue 3: When cooked I am highly flammable
• Clue 4:People who are addicted to me will often lose their teeth very quickly due to extended periods of poor oral hygiene, frequent consumption of high calorie, carbonated beverages and tooth grinding and clenching.
A: Marijuana
B: Caffeine
C: Bath Salts
D: Crystal Meth
• Clue 1:Common side effects from taking me include next-day drowsiness, dizziness and headaches.
• Clue 2: I am available by perscription and used mainly at night.
• Clue 3:I am mainly used for treating insomnia.
• Clue 4:I have 2 layers. The first makes you fall asleep. The second makes you stay asleep.
A: Xanax
B: Ambien
C: Valium
D: DXM
Name That Drug
Resources• www.Eurowid.org
• www.Facebook.com
• Drug slang terms– http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abused-
drugs/commonly-abused-drugs-chart
• Monitoring the Future- Univ. of Michigan– www.monitoringthefuture.org
• Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey– phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/cdp/SitePages/youth-risk-survey.aspx
• National Survey of Drug Use and Health SAMHSA– www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUHLatest.htm
Resources
• Educate before You Medicate– www.talkaboutrx.org
• National Institute on Drug Abuse– www.NIDA.org
• www.drugabuse.gov• www.spiceaddictionsupport.org• www.drugfree.org• ONDCP• NMS Labs• Ameritox• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital
Statistics System mortality data. (2015) Available from URL: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm
