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 time
Each is a resource to the
group
Ask for clarification
Have 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
Flask Sandals
Water Bottle
Alcohol Trends
• Beer Sleeves
• Tamponing
Trending
Knockout
•https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=8kHIQNyu8KQ
Read the Fine Print
• Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other
illicit drugs combined
• Alcohol consumption by college students is
involved in 1,700 deaths, 599,000 injuries, and
97,000 cases of sexual assault each year
• Of youth, ages 12-17, who drank within the past
year, 39% had reported one serious problem
and 18% had built up tolerance
source: www.familyfirstaid.org
• Youth who begin drinking before 15 are 4 times
more likely to develop alcoholism than those
who wait until 21
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/portable
player/?cmsID=225919341&videoID=3wJ
H2if1gWGM&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 flulike 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 (25INBOMe, 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.
Name That
Drug
A: Cocaine
B: LSD
C: Estacy
D: Methamphetamines
• 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.
Name That
Drug
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.
Name That
Drug
A: Xanax
B: Ambien
C: Valium
D: DXM
Resources
• www.Eurowid.org
• www.Facebook.com
• Drug slang terms
– http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abuseddrugs/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
?Any Questions?
Ben E. Stevenson II
Substance Abuse Prevention Manager
Ben.stevensonii@montgomerycountymd.gov