By: Lakeview Health
What happened to the simple drugs: Marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, Xanax, mushrooms? We know how to treat overdose and side effects from those addictions. Now our teenagers are using synthetic drugs that are much more damaging because no one knows how to help. The latest designer drug, positively labeled as “Smiles,” is a powerful amphetamine hallucinogen that causes devastating effects on the user. Smiles, which is in the same family as the popular 2Cs, is the latest drug to kill teens. Last summer there were two deaths reported in Minnesota and North Dakota. In one of the cases, reports said the teen who used Smiles bashed his head against the sidewalk while foaming and hyperventilating. He stopped breathing after a couple of hours. Apparently Smiles causes irregular heartbeats along with auditory and visual hallucinations that may be unpleasant. The risk that these teens take to experience euphoria is just not worth it. Unfortunately in the case of the teen boy above, his friend who gave him the drug thought that he bought an extract of hallucinogenic mushrooms and ended up with the designer drug instead. He now faces charges of murder and manslaughter, which could mean 25 years in prison. Synthetic drugs claim three more lives: two in death and one in prison. What are your thoughts about these new designer drugs?
