Dennis RomeroAdverse reactions to a drug in downtown Los Angeles this week sent 14 people to hospitals. And sadly, we all know that overdose deaths are an almost inevitable part of the Southern California rave scene. Recreational drugs are all around us, especially in Tinseltown.
We're concerned not only for your safety but for your ability to have proper good times. Many drugs aren't cutting it either way. In a city where scoring some potent Chong's Choice is as easy as saying “back pain!” there's little reason to waste precious time and money with
Here's our list of the five worst recreational drugs — you know, besides the obvious ones like meth and heroin. Avoid them if you're wise. Disagree at your own risk.
5. Oxycodone (aka OxyContin, Percocet) is an opioid, a class of drugs that is dominating overdoses, the leading cause of accidental deaths in the nation. The strange thing about this one is that it's actually legal, even though people often obtain it illegally. As a “chemical modification of opioid precursor molecules which are obtained from the opium poppy,” (according to drugabuse.com), oxycodone is addictive and often leads users to find
4. Krokodil. Nobody has ever said krokodil and chill. That's because this home-brew mixture of codeine, paint thinner, gasoline, hydrochloric acid, iodine and phosphorous gives you a heroinlike high while making your skin green and scaly (thus the name). Some users develop abscesses, while others reportedly see their skin fall off the bone. Sexy! Luckily, according to Hollywood-based
3. Flesh-eating cocaine. Addictive, endless-conversation-inducing cocaine is bad enough on its own, especially in the self-absorbed environment of Los Angeles. But a version that is cut with the animal de-wormer levamisole started popping up in L.A. and New York a few years back and caused users to experience the development of dead skin on their ears, nose, cheeks and elsewhere. If you enjoy talking about yourself, that's not a good look. A report in Vice, however, suggested that news of this flesh eater was over-hyped.
2. Ecstasy. According to the Los Angeles Times, over the last decade, there have been 25 ecstasy-related deaths connected to raves organized by local promoters. Sure, the events in question, including Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, have seen more than 1 million people come through their turnstiles since 2006. But the rave scene, obsessed with so-called “bad batches” and adulterated pills, is in denial about one fact: MDMA, all by itself, can kill. On top of that, it can be a crappy drug. If you've ever seen half the ravers at a party sitting on the floor staring at each other by 5 a.m., you know this — as does anyone who's ever tried LSD or mushrooms.
1. Spice. This has got to be the illest drug here. Spice (aka synthetic marijuana and K2) is a synthetic cannabinoid sprayed on dry leaves and often rolled up in a joint for smoking. The American Psychiatric Association's description of the drug's effects is one for the books:
[Users] experienced ongoing psychotic symptoms, including auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoid delusions, odd or flat affect, thought blocking, disorganized speech, thoughts of suicide, insomnia, slowed reaction times, agitation and anxiety. Psychotic symptoms generally resolved between five and eight days after admission but in some cases continued three months or longer.
’Nuff said? Now let's talk about legalizing marijuana …
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