The Dethroning: Has Flakka Overtaken Cocaine in Florida’s Drug Scene?

The state of Florida has constantly battled with drug traffickers smuggling boatloads of cocaine into it’s South Florida region for decades. To much surprise, South Florida is now being challenged with a new drug epidemic, flakka. The cheap synthetic drug is being shipped from China through the mail in masses and is flooding the streets of South Florida.

Flakka is a cheap, synthetic drug which has been chemically designed to replicate cathinone, a stimulating chemical found in the khat plant. The effects of flakka causes its users to experience a sense of superhuman strength and delirium. According to drug treatment professionals, the drug can cause first time users to take three to four days to return to a normal mind state, and repeat users can take 14 to 16 days to return to normal. “It’s the most intense, rapidly emerging drug problem since the 1980’s with the emergence of crack cocaine,” says James Hall, an epidemiologist at Nova Southeastern University, as quoted by the Business Insider.

The drug made its first appearance in Florida in 2014 and has been gaining popularity ever since.  According to Business Insider, Broward County has reported that synthetic drugs, mainly flakka, have surpassed cocaine as the most common drug found in crime-lab reports. Detective Schwartz stated that it’s the first time he can recall that any drug has surpassed cocaine. Broward County crime labs reported that synthetic drugs accounted for 34 percent of drug seizures, and cocaine was just behind at 30 percent. Broward County has already reported over 275 flakka-related incidents as of May this year.

“Cocaine was king, until this year” says Detective William Schwartz of the Broward County’s Sheriff’s Office. Authorities believe the drug is surpassing cocaine because it’s cheaper and more accessible. Drug experts say a kilo of flakka can be bought from online companies in China for as low as $1,500 and is worth $50,000 on the street. A single dose of flakka can be sold for as low as $5.

Although flakka has been deemed illegal in the U.S as of 2014, China has yet to ban the mind-altering drug  and continues to ship large quantities of flakka to the states. With Florida boasting a long coastline and a multitude of airports, the state has become a prominent U.S. entry point for cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. The state can now add flakka to that list.
However, measures are being taken to help end the flakka epidemic before it spreads across the United States. According to the U.S. State Department, the Obama administration has raised the issue of flakka in discussions with China in hopes to end the rapidly growing epidemic.

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The post The Dethroning: Has Flakka Overtaken Cocaine in Florida’s Drug Scene? appeared first on Harbor Village Florida.

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