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The days when even the most down-and-out buzz seeker sipped on stuff like toilet hooch and Mad Dog 20/20 in search for the temporary trapdoor out of the shit circus called life seems to have fallen by the wayside. There is now a new revolution in the mad science world of intoxicating substances sweeping the United States. It is one that perhaps, many, many years from now, will be looked upon by the last standing members of civil society with such disgust, that meth-mouth memes and photos of opioid corpses will no longer have the soul-churning power to turn their stomachs inside out.
The drug is known by names like “KD” and “Katie.” The vernacular really depends on what part of the country you’re in. This wild-eyed concoction is manufactured by simply putting household bug sprays, like RAID, on a variety of substances, including tobacco, marijuana, and even banana leaves. Consumed by smoking, this inexpensive drug puts the user in a catatonic, almost “zombie-like” state. But this insecticidal inebriant also carries a significant risk for a veritable madhouse of less than desirable side effects. Difficulty breathing, convulsions, coma and psychotic behavior have all been reported.
It was just earlier this year that an emergency crew in Indianapolis, Indiana responded to reports of dozens of overdoses in and around a local men’s shelter. Somewhere around 20 homeless men and women were treated for overdoses on a bizarre drug combination that was thought to have been a “mix of spice and an unknown chemical or drug,” according to the Indianapolis Star. Although most of the overdose victims recovered, one was rushed to a nearby hospital and put on life support.
But the effects of ingesting bug spray only worsen when it is used in concert with hard drugs.
Last year, a Tennessee man made national headlines after ransacking a families home and then slashing his own throat at their dinner table. Fortunately, he survived the incident. He later told law enforcement that he had done a savage mix of methamphetamine and bug spray that has been referred to by names like “WASP” and “Crystal Cockroach.” This nasty stuff can be smoked or shot directly into the user’s veins.
It is worth mentioning that anyone under the influence of this drug should not be trusted. These seemingly rabid monsters either want to fight, perhaps even gnaw the hairs off their victim’s backs, or relax. It is the mood swings that make them most dangerous.
“A person will stand at a jail cell door, slobber like a mad dog, wanting to fight. Everything is wrong, Nothing is right for one minute, then calm down and be just like a normal human being and then go right back into a rage,” Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told News Mississippi.
Sadly, there is growing evidence that weird drug cocktails beyond bug killers could become the drug epidemic of the future.
In some part of the Midwest, where methamphetamine was once the outlaw of the land, law enforcement officials say they are frequently stumbling onto bizarre drug mixtures that both amaze and confuse laboratory heads. In fact, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found a supply of dope last year that consisted of ketamine, tramadol, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. The effects from this kind of weird science can be deadly.
“These are combinations of drugs that don’t even make sense, and they are combinations that are lethal,” said T.J. Jordan, assistant director of the TBI’s Drug Investigation Division. “It’s the latest example of why no illicit street drug is safe. And with combinations of these extremely toxic drugs being mixed with each other, it’s a cocktail that has us very concerned. We need to remind the public again that these already-dangerous drugs are becoming more and more deadly.”
It is almost as though black market chemists are working tirelessly to discover the next big trend in American junkie culture. Experts say the majority of the problems stemming from drug cocktails, including the bug spray phenomenon, are the result of users who have already been sucked into the swirling black hole of addiction. Many of these people can longer afford their drug of choice and lean on cheaper highs to get them through. Drug dealers are simply answering their call.
So, what’s the solution to the problem? Some experts scream drug decriminalization, while some of the others — namely the politicians — argue a need for harsher penalties. But there is also something to be said for good old fashion education – teaching the younger generations a lesson in common sense and self worth.
Because let’s face it, anyone who is out there smoking banana peels doused in toxic bug spray is stuck on a lifestyle path bred from the deepest depths of downtrodden society. It is time for America to reconsider everything with respect to its buzz culture. And the legalization of marijuana is a good place to start. The cannabis industry is contributing millions of dollars in tax revenue to youth drug education programs — it’s creating new jobs, and producing a wealth of other socioeconomic positives for local communities. After all, the majority of this bug sprayed dope is being discovered in states where pot prohibition is still the law of the land.
Mike Adams is a freelance writer for High Times, Cannabis Now, and Forbes. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram