Synthetic drugs: their main types, effects and characteristics

Synthetic drugs are substances created in laboratories that have psychoactive effects and that are marketed illegally although on many occasions taking advantage of the legal vacuum that exists when it comes to defining what a drug is illegal.

These substances are originally drugs created to improve the health of patients with different diseases but which, when discovered their adverse effects, they were discarded for therapeutic purposes although reused by the market drug dealer.

There are thousands of them and Next we will see the main types of synthetic drugs that exist on the gray market.

• Related article: "Types of drugs: know their characteristics and effects"

What are synthetic drugs?

synthetic drugs are chemical substances manufactured in laboratories that cause some type of effect on the central nervous system, inducing potentially dangerous psychoactive effects in addition to various organic alterations. Most of them are substances that were originally manufactured for therapeutic purposes but, since they are not safe, were discarded but drug traffickers and some unscrupulous chemists and pharmacists recover and trade them unlawful

Many synthetic drugs are sold as designer drugs, which are attractive to young people because of their striking format, coming in the form of colored pills, bottles with attractive liquids and bags of powders several. These drugs are synthesized taking into account current legislation, altering the original composition of the drug on which they are based to prevent it from being classified as illegal. Basically, they consist of replicas of drugs discarded for therapeutic use but with some changes in their composition, making it impossible to consider them as an illegal substance at first.

However, as the authorities are catching up with the new drugs on the market and the they make the chemicals that produce them illegal they change their “recipe” to be able to continue with their business illicit. Thus, synthetic drugs They constitute what has been called the gray market, halfway between legal pharmacy substances and the black market with totally illegal drugs.. Designer drugs are still harmful to the body, but since there are a lot of new ones every time, the authorities find it really difficult to put an end to the market.

Some of these synthetic drugs are sold both online and in stores under the “not for consumer consumption” label. human”, marketing them as herbal incense, plant fertilizer, bath salts or jewelry cleaner. In this way, its manufacturers wash their hands when the authorities call them to attention for the drug use that their buyers do, these manufacturers saying that they clearly indicate that they are not suitable for people to use. consume.

dangerous effects

There are thousands of synthetic drugs, and each one causes different psychoactive effects, although in most cases are used to inhibit pain, alternate visual and acoustic perceptions, and change the state psychic. But Despite these "positive" effects, there are many more negative ones that they cause, both in the short and long term, all of them dangerous.

In the short term they can cause memory loss and lack of appetite along with mental problems such as anxiety, depression, obsessions, sleep disorders, panic attacks and aggressiveness. They can cause strokes, thrombosis and even cause the death of the consumer. They can also cause hyperthermia, that is, an increase in body temperature, inducing dehydration in the consumer. In the long term, they can cause irreversible neurological damage..

Main types of synthetic drugs

As we mentioned, the synthetic drug market is a world that makes use of existing legal loopholes when presents a new drug although it is a matter of time before it is declared illegal, motivating its manufacturers to change the recipe. This means that the drugs that are available on the gray market constantly change both their format, which which makes the extensive list of synthetic drugs that we can find in an illegal way very long.

Likewise, below we will see some of the most striking, what effects they produce, what they are made of and several of their trade names.

1. synthetic cathinones

synthetic cathinones have a similar chemical composition to the plant Catha edulis cultivated in East Africa. These drugs are commonly marketed as "bath salts" and can be obtained on the internet. Among the most notable are methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and mephedrone. MDPV is 10 to 50 times more potent than cocaine and the risk of overdose is very high.

Commercialization

Synthetic cathinones are marketed in small bottles containing a fine whitish or slightly yellow powder with the label to take a stimulating bath, as a fertilizer for plants and with the safeguard of "not suitable for human consumption". These drugs can be inhaled, smoked, swallowed, or injected.

There are many names that they can receive: Buzz, Vanilla Sky, Ocean, Eight Ball, the White Dove or White Girl are some of them.

effects

Consuming this drug causes the user to have strange homicidal and suicidal behaviors in addition to suffering from paranoia and hallucinations. The person feels terrified and reacts violently to others. They may also experience agitation, insomnia, irritability, panic attacks, loss of body control, trouble thinking clearly, dizziness, delusions, and depression.

Regarding physiological effects, synthetic cathinones can cause liver and kidney failure, as well as seizures. They are highly addictive drugs that cause chest pain, increased heart rate, nosebleeds, sweating, nausea, and vomiting.

2. synthetic cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are synthetic substances that they emulate the effects of marijuana despite the fact that chemically they have nothing in common with this herb except for causing a reaction in the body similar to how smoked natural marijuana does.

In the case of synthetic cannabinoids, these are sprayed on the herb that is going to be smoked later, the damiana plant or shepherdess herb (Turnera diffusa) being the most used. This plant already contains a mild drug that causes a euphoric reaction.

Commercialization

synthetic cannabinoids they are marketed in aluminum foil packages, labeled with various names: K2, K3 Legal, Spice Gold, King Kong, Cloud 9 or any of the names the manufacturer comes up with. It is common for it to be sold as incense or to spray plants.

The drug itself has several names in drug slang, making direct reference to the chemical formula of cannabinoids: JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-370, HU-210, CP 47.497, AM-1248 and XLR-11.

The initials JWH refer to the inventor of this substance, John W. Huffman, who developed cannabinoids with the intention of creating drugs to help patients with sclerosis multiple or AIDS, and when he found out about the illicit use that he was making of his creation, he felt very upset and upset.

effects

synthetic cannabinoids they have effects four times greater than those produced by marijuana if they are smoked. At first they start working slowly but then their effect is much more powerful, reaching the point that the person may be surprised at how much it "comes up".

They cause agitation, increased heart rate, confusion, nausea, and dizziness. There have also been reports of people experiencing chest pain after consuming synthetic cannabinoids, in addition to severe heart damage.

3. synthetic cocaine

synthetic cocaine chemically emulates cocaine, but unlike cocaine, its designer version is legal in most countries. It has anesthetic properties and currently there are two forms of the drug that we can find on the gray market: 3-(p-fluorobenzoyloxy) tropane, known as pFBT; and dimethocaine.

Commercialization

This copy of cocaine is available in stores and websites, labeled as a research chemical or plant fertilizer. They are inhaled, just like real cocaine.

Among the names that dimethocaine receives in the market we have Mind Melt, Amplified and Mint Mania.

effects

It has stimulant effects and that is why it can cause high blood pressure and increased heart rate. May cause anxiety and psychotic episodesalthough they are temporary.

• You may be interested in: "How is the treatment of cocaine addiction?"

4. Ketamine

Ketamine is synthesized and used as a tranquilizer for animals after being discarded as a human anesthetic. The reason for this was that it causes unpleasant side effects, including agitation and hallucinations. Chemically it is very similar to angel dust (PCP).

Commercialization

Your purchase for the veterinary clinic is legal. Ketamine users obtain it by stealing it from veterinarians or buying it directly from those who have no remorse to sell it.

It's used in pill, powder, or liquid form and is consumed by smoking mixed with herbs, inhaling, or by injection in vein or muscle. In drops it can be administered directly into the eyes, the skin or in a glass with a drink.

It is sold commercially under the names of Ketaved, Tekaset, Vetamine, Vetalar and Ketalar. It receives various nicknames in the slang of its consumers such as Vitamin K, Special K, Super K, Kit Kat, Jet, K, Lady K, Super Acid and Cat Valium.

effects

Causes sedation, dissociation, that is, disconnection of self-awareness and our own thoughts, in addition to the already mentioned hallucinations.

If consumed for a long time, ketamine has the peculiarity that it can cause irreversible damage to the bladder and even destroy it. Many addicts to the substance suffer severe pain when urinating and require surgical interventions to repair their bladders. Sometimes the damage is so severe that the bladder needs to be removed.

5. Ecstasy

MDMA or ecstasy is a phenethylamine that is widely consumed at concerts, music festivals, and nightclubs.. The reason for this is because it causes an acute perception of music and lights, elements that are not lacking in this type of event.

Commercialization

MDMA can be found on the drug market in the form of colored pills with very striking designs or logos, referencing pop culture symbols. They can be sold in packages or individually.

effects

It makes the heartbeat and breathing more noticeable, as well as drastically raising the body temperature, something that can lead to death from overheating. It also makes you have greater closeness with other people and greater skin sensitivity. Pcan cause paranoid attacks, panic attacks.

When the effects begin to wear off, you may feel cramps in the jaw muscles, which is why many ecstasy users carry pacifiers to prevent squeaking teeth.

6. tryptamines

Tryptamines are synthetic hallucinogenic drugs. these drugs have effects similar to psilocybin, a substance found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Commercialization

You can find tryptamines sold as a light-colored powder in small plastic bags, labeled "research chemicals." They can be obtained very easily on the Internet, this being the way in which young people buy them.

effects

Among its psychoactive effects we find the distortion of sight, sound and time. The consumer is incapable of making rational judgments, which makes them more prone to taking risks and harming themselves. You can also suffer from amnesia, although it is a rather temporary state.

Its most striking physical effect is to cause muscle tension, to such an extent that the muscles break, jaw tension, nausea and vomiting.. Other symptoms are panic attacks, anxiety, restlessness, and confusion.

7. Piperazines

Piperazines were originally created as antidepressants, but their therapeutic use was abandoned due to problems associated with their use.

Commercialization

These drugs are sold as party pills and its consumers are deceived by telling them that they are made from natural herbs, even though they are pure laboratory chemistry.

These drugs can be found in combination with other designer drugs, including amphetamines, ketamine and ecstasy, as well as natural and synthetic cocaine. Some pills that are marketed as MDMA are actually a combination of piperazines with caffeine.

effects

The consumption of piperazines causes various effects on a physical level, including lack of appetite, headaches, tremors, stomach pains, chills, and sensitivity to light and noise, plus seizures tonic-clonic. can cause death.

Psychological effects include mood swings, confusion, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, panic attacks, and fear of losing control.

Bibliographic references:

• Wohlfarth A, Weinmann W (2010). "Bioanalysis of new designer drugs". Bioanalysis. 2 (5): 965–79. doi: 10.4155/bio.10.32. PMID 21083227
• Renéman L (2003). "Designer drugs: how dangerous are they?". J. neural transmission Suppl. (66): 61–83. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-0541-2_4. ISBN 978-3-211-01316-8. PMID 14582803
• Venhuis BJ, Blok-Tip L, de Kaste D (2008). "Designer drugs in herbal aphrodisiacs". Forensic Sci. Int. 177 (2–3): e25-7. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2007.11.007. PMID 18178354
• Narconon (n.d.) Classes of synthetic drugs. Narconon. Los Angeles United States. Taken from: https://www.narconon.org/es/consumo-de-drogas/clases-de-drogas-sinteticas.html