"Designer" drugs: why synthetic poison kills faster than usual

In the modern world, progress extends not only to achievements in science, technology and culture. Drugs are also developing along with humanity, becoming more accessible, more effective and more deadly. Today, heroin, cocaine and desomorphine are gradually fading into the background, giving way to new, so-called "designer" drugs of synthetic origin.

Experts say that in recent years, Russian residents have begun to lose interest in alcohol and traditional drugs. But there is no special reason for optimism, since the number of psychoses associated with narcotic substances is steadily increasing. How can this be, you ask. The answer is simple — modern youth increasingly prefer synthetic drugs to beer, vodka, opioids and marijuana.

These substances are available in two main forms — in the form of smoking mixtures and so-called salts. The narcotic effect of smoking mixtures is based on the action of synthetic cannabinoids.

These chemical compounds are artificially synthesized analogues of marijuana and hashish, but they have a number of important differences from the original.

Firstly, "synthetics" causes rapid and persistent addiction, which is much more difficult to get rid of than addiction to conventional drugs. And secondly, they are much more destructive for the human body and its psyche.

As a result of the use of smoking mixtures, severe psychotic states develop, accompanied by hallucinations and delirium.

Salts have an effect on humans through synthetic cathinones, of which a huge number of species have been synthesized in the world today. Just as in the case of smoking mixtures, dependence on moles may appear after the first use.

The consequences of the use of salts can be the most terrible, since a person often falls into the most severe psychoses with gross psychomotor agitation and aggressively cynical sexual disinhibition.

In this state, people can harm themselves and even commit suicide. It also happens that salt lovers strip naked and rush down the street, shocking passers-by. Such conditions often end in death due to the fact that they are usually accompanied by severe disorders in the cardiovascular system.

Cases of mass poisoning with synthetic drugs obtained from the same batch are also well known. A similar incident took place in the Kirov region, and then in Surgut, in 2014. Then about 1,500 people received severe poisoning, a quarter of whom died despite qualified medical care.

Contrary to the stereotypical opinion that "designer" drugs are the lot of teenagers and young people, a considerable part of their users are people over 30 and even 40 years old. The marketing skillfully carried out by drug dealers makes it possible to draw people of any age, marital status and social status into dependence.

The fight against the spread of synthetic drugs is greatly hindered by the fact that dealers have left the streets of cities and are doing their dirty work via the Internet. The system of selling through the so-called "bookmarks", unfortunately, is very effective and with it buyers have the opportunity to both place an order and make payment online.

The drug dealer who received the money by transfer to the card bookmarks a certain amount of narcotic drug in a secluded place and then also, using the Internet, informs the buyer about the location of the cache. The client and the seller do not meet each other and therefore it is incredibly difficult to catch drug dealers red-handed.

But in China, they are fighting drug dealers quite effectively, since financially interested citizens of the country are willing to participate in the confrontation.