Developing Strategies For 21st Century Street Drugs

Weeks after a public meeting spotlighted the growing presence of “21st Century Street Drugs” in the region, a core group of local leaders is coming together to address the implications. A drug identification specialist from the Pennsylvania State Police will lead a workshop for treatment specialists, educators, law enforcement personnel and other officials. They’re convinced that education holds the best hope of reversing a trend of substance abuse that’s increasingly evident in Potter County. Focus is on a particularly dangerous class of drugs which are linked to deaths, permanent mental disorders and risky – downright bizarre – behavior, especially among teenagers and young adults. These substances are widely available, largely synthetic concoctions often referred to as bath salts, herbal incense and a variety of contrived marketing names.

Manufacturers and dealers have responded to growing demand by finding inventive ways to skirt federal and state laws, altering their chemical compounds and shifting marketing strategies, or pulling their products from the shelves and infiltrating the traditional underground narcotics trade. Addicts have sought out products marketed under deceptive descriptions such as stain remover, plant food, glass cleaner, air freshener, carpet fragrance, massage powder, gourmet energy cookies and more. The products are snorted, smoked, or injected, which has resulted in deadly or life-threatening situations. Side effects include irritability, delusional paranoia, aggression and psychotic behavior, accelerated heart rate, suicide, hallucinations, seizures, and even death and random violence. Short- and long-term mental and physical health impacts of ingesting these substances are not known, as research is lacking.

The lure of high profits has created a worldwide marketplace making the street drugs available to anyone with an internet connection or a neighborhood supplier. Passing laws prohibiting the products is futile, officials say, since suppliers can merely repackage the substance under another brand name and description and continue production.