It’s one of a hundred different synthetic substances identified through police seizure and drug busts every year, but this one has some dangerous consequences for users, is affecting Georgians and has a scary name: “Crazy Clown.”

This synthetic drug has been identified as the cause of multiple hospital admissions, according to WJBF, and law enforcement, medical professionals and community members are scrambling to determine how best to get the problem in check.

Brunswick

A party in Brunswick, GA, went south when someone brought Crazy Clown to the event, and eight people ended up in the hospital. Onlookers report that some users were foaming at the mouth while another was rolling on the ground, and another couldn’t walk. One of the users reported that he couldn’t remember anything after vomiting but medical professionals said he was minutes away from losing his life when they got to him. Many of the users were unable to breathe and were taken to the ICU.

Legal?

A Brunswick smoke shop sold the synthetic drug called Crazy Clown to the partygoer. Whether or not it was legal is a question that even police can’t answer.

Chief Matt Doering of the Glynn County Police Department said that that’s not an easy question to answer out in the field: “The thing is we don’t know if what we have is illegal or not! It has to have a certain illegal compound in it, that’s what makes it hard for us.”

Danger!

Whether or not it is legal is immaterial to the overriding fact that this drug and others like it are exceedingly dangerous to users. This is not the first type of synthetic substance to hit Georgia streets, nor is it the first synthetic substances to send someone to the hospital. As long as there is money to be made from it, black market chemists will continue to produce synthetic drugs like these – and users will continue to experience a host of negative consequences as a result.

Addressing the Drug Abuse Problem

Prescription drugs, marijuana in some states, alcohol – all these substances are legal and all of them are extremely dangerous. The difference is that these legal drugs are manufactured and monitored in their production and distribution so there are safety standards in place to protect the consumer. The only reason why a synthetic substance may be legal is because it hasn’t been banned yet, not because it is safe or approved for use.

If someone you love refuses to see the danger in abusing these drugs or continues to struggle with abuse of any substance, don’t wait to seek help. Contact us today at 855-808-6212 and learn more about our treatment opportunities here at Black Bear Lodge.

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