WHILE reports about Flakka the zombie drug are being widely circulated, the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (Sanca) in Durban has called on the public and the media to be cautious about creating unnecessary hype, around the drug.
According to Sanca, there has been much misreporting about the drug in the past. In particular, a report that appeared in after a man in Florida, USA killed a couple in their home‚ bit off one person’s face and was allegedly on Flakka which resulted in hysteria, linking Flakka to cannibalism. However, toxicology reports revealed that there was no evidence of the drug in the man’s system.
Director of Sanca in Durban,Walter Petersen said it was important to look at the resurgence of the drug very critically, instead of rushing for the hype.
“We are very concerned about how hyped up the drug has become. We cannot be certain that the videos doing the rounds are as a result of the drug. We are asking the community to be on the lookout and not try to experiment with drugs. We have not dealt with any cases in Durban. Flakka is a powerful upper and its use could lead to paranoia and delirium. It tends to be cheaper than cocaine and you can buy it online, which makes it more easily accessible,” said Petersen.
“Flakka, also known as bath salts or gravel, was a cathinone that was first synthesized decades ago, in the 1960s. Sometimes, drugs make a resurgence after several years and come back stronger than before. This is what appears to be what’s happening with flakka. It comes as a foul-smelling white or pink crystal that you can snort, eat, inject or even vape. Users often don’t know what they put in their bodies and are not even aware of their actions,” added Petersen.
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Unconfirmed reports in the media, claim that dealers are already selling flakka or “gravel” as it is also known because of its look and feel, in Wentworth, Chatsworth and Pinetown. The reports allege that one of the men attacked a woman, biting off a chunk of her arm. Another is reported to have suffered heart failure, with his heartbeat returning a short while later.
“Because the drug has been enhanced, even how it is presented may be different. The user has a euphoric high, hallucinations, paranoia, panic attacks, violence, severe depression and the symptoms also include extreme agitation and delirious thoughts. Basic drug education is needed urgently and we urge parents to teach their children about drug education,” he said.
Despite reports about a joint operation by Metro Police’s specialised unit (SPU), Metro K9, Metro MORT, and SAPS NIU which led to the arrest of 32-year-old Nigerian, Chikudipidia Steven Nwose, who was allegedly found in possession of 10 bags of Flakka and other drugs at a pub in Pinetown, KZN police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, said KZN police, were not aware of the drug and had not received any complaints or reports about it.
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