There is a race that is currently happening, between individuals who create new ways for people to get high and law enforcement. These individuals take chemicals that are considered illegal and change their chemical composition, so that they are considered legal. Law enforcement agencies are scrambling on a daily basis to try to figure out what chemicals are dangerous and deadly for human consumption and to stop the production and distribution of them.
Only Tested on Small Animals and in Test Tubes
Research chemicals have not been tested for human consumption by the governing bodies who are authorized to do so. Unfortunately, some people purchase these chemicals, thinking that they are safe for human consumption. The people who manufacture research chemicals use many different drugs to create new chemical compositions that will cause users to hallucinate and experience strange sensations in the body. Without the proper testing, there are no studies to show evidence of the drug’s impact, other than the reports of individuals who have experimented with the chemicals.
Side Effects Can Be Deadly
Some of the side effects that users have reported are diarrhea, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, and being disoriented. Research chemicals can directly and dangerously impact heart rates and blood pressures, by raising the heart rate as much as twenty-five percent and lowering blood pressure as much as twenty percent. This can be deadly for anyone with a congenital heart problem. This could have a similar effect to a popular way of using cocaine and heroin known as speed-balling. Cocaine is a stimulant and heroin is a depressant, by mixing the two drugs, users experience the intense rush from cocaine and the relaxing or sedative effects of heroin. The two drugs have opposite effects on the body, which puts tremendous strain on organs and can easily be fatal. Some teens have died from the use of research chemicals.
Tricky Statements and Advertising by Manufacturers
Research chemicals are very popular among teens and can be purchased online without legal consequences. The online sources can operate because the chemicals they are selling are not an exact match for the chemicals that have been deemed to be illegal by law enforcement. The packaging and advertisements usually state that the chemicals are not for human consumption. The websites refer to their buyers as scientists. If an individual uses a research chemical, the manufacturer claims that the user is responsible for any harm caused and that human consumption was not the intended use.
There are Too Many Research Chemicals to Name or List
Some of the types of research chemicals being created and sold are: synthetic cannabinoids: drugs such as Spice and K2, synthetic cathinones: Bath Salts, Flakka, Cloud Nine, psychedelics: 4-HO-Met, 2C-I, TMA- 2, piperazines: Legal E, Herbal Ecstasy, Frenzy, Bliss, Fentanyl and various Opioids: research versions of Fentanyl and other Opioids. There are too many names, research chemicals, and places to purchase them to list. Some sellers use catchy names that appeal to teens, such as: MDIA, AMT Freebase, and Benzo Fury to name a few.
Anyone Can Buy Research Chemicals
A person can go online today and find numerous sites that sell research chemicals. No identification is required. The person can order numerous research chemicals in any quantity that they want. Some teens are ordering these chemicals and having parties where everyone is invited to use the research chemical that the mailman delivered earlier in the day. There are websites where individuals discuss the effects of certain research chemicals that they have used, where people share information back and forth. Teen use is on the rise and needs to be stopped!
We Need Tougher Laws to Combat This Deadly Problem
Law enforcement is fighting back by trying to pass legislation that can bring tough laws to combat this deadly problem. Current laws are not working. In some cases, it is unclear what is in the research chemicals, what they do, and what the side effects are? What is known, is that most of these chemicals can be deadly when consumed by human beings. We need tougher laws to stop the production and sale of these type of research chemicals.