A Second Generation Bath Salt: “Flakka” (alpha-PVP) has Hit the Streets
Earlier in April the National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported that Alpha-PVP aka “Flakka” or “Gravel” has hit the streets. Please be aware of this very dangerous substance. It can be ingested in many ways and is popular among teens and adolescents. Use of a dangerous synthetic cathinone drug called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP), popularly known as “Flakka,” is surging in Florida and is also being reported in other parts of the country, according to news reports.
Alpha-PVP is chemically similar to other synthetic cathinone drugs popularly called “bath salts,” and takes the form of a white or pink, foul-smelling crystal that can be eaten, snorted, injected, or vaporized in an e-cigarette or similar device. Vaporizing, which sends the drug very quickly into the bloodstream, may make it particularly easy to overdose. Like other drugs of this type, alpha-PVP can cause a condition called “excited delirium” that involves hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations that can lead to violent aggression and self-injury. The drug has been linked to deaths by suicide as well as heart attack. It can also dangerously raise body temperature and lead to kidney damage or kidney failure.
