Crisis Case: The Increasing Popularity and Availability of Synthetic Drugs
Author: Dylan Higgins
Date: September 30, 2014
Description: Chemical compounds designed to mimic the effects of illicit drugs are easily available to consumers eager to get “high” just within the bounds of the law. Since the compounds (also known as “designer drugs”) are being newly designed by chemists, they don’t appear on the Federal list of banned substances and therefore are being marketed as safe and legal.
Sources:
Gray, E. (2014, April 10). The Rise of Fake Pot. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://time.com/57167/rise-of-fake-pot/
Becker, O. (2014, May 20). UN Warns of Unprecedented Surge in Synthetic Drug Use Worldwide. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from https://news.vice.com/article/un-warns-of-unprecedented-surge-in-synthetic-drug-use-worldwide
State, J. (2012, December 4). Synthetic Marijuana Sent 11,000 People to Emergency Rooms in 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/synthetic-marijuana-sent-11000-people-to-emergency-rooms-in-2010/
Organization(s)/Indivdual(s) Involved: DEA, Congress, Various Chemistry Companies
Background and Current Status: Roughly 5 years ago, synthetic drugs were, for the most part, greatly unheard of but now the industry is growing and providing dangerous highs to customers at an unprecedented rate. These synthetic substances are being classified as New Psychoactive Substances and they have quickly taken over the drug market according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Total amphetamine-type stimulant seizures have skyrocketed 80 percent globally from 2010 to 2012 because of the new legal supply chain. A report released by the UN on May 20th identified 348 synthetic drugs in 90 countries over the past five years, none of which are under international regulation and despite the massive growth in use of synthetic drugs, no new substances have been added to a list of internationally recognized controlled substances since 2009. This is allowing companies to market their substances as “legal” and “safe” although these unregulated substances pose just as serious if not worse threats to public health than their authentically illicit counterparts. In 2010, more than 11,000 people ended up in Emergency Rooms for synthetic marijuana use, alone. A report by the federal government’s Drug Abuse Warning Network found 12-to-17-year-olds accounted for one-third of the emergency room visits, while young adults ages 18 to 24 accounted for an additional 35 percent.
Key Issues: Youth demographics across the globe are being legally misled to believe that designer drugs are safe for recreational consumption. The DEA and legislators can’t keep up with the ever-evolving science behind these compounds so this game of cat and mouse basically steamrolled synthetics into the top spot of the drug trade with thousands of lives hanging in the balance.
Assessment: When this issue first hit the streets nearly a decade ago, the federal government should’ve taken immediate action to ensure the dismantling of these compound distributors rather than trying to take on the compounds themselves. In attempts to ban individual materials included in the synthetics rather than banning the businesses manufacturing them, the government has done a great favor in providing endless loopholes for their targets.