FLAKKA

Flakka, is a new, cheap synthetic cathinone drug that was originally popular in Florida, but has since made its way into Michigan. Flakka (also commonly called Gravel or Alpha- PVP) is sold in the form of white crystals and looks similar to bath salts. Users can eat, snort, inject or vaporize Flakka in a e-cigarette device. Due to the quick absorption into the bloodstream, users who use Flakka are at a high risk for overdosing. 

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 (NIDA).

Signs and Symptoms of Flakka Use
Flakka is associated with cocaine-like changes in behavior. Behavior changes induced by Flakka use may include:
  • Alertness.
  • Hyperactivity.
  • Extreme agitation.
  • Aberrant and 'bizarre' behavior.
  • Delirium or intense confusion.
  • Psychotic symptoms, delusions, and hallucinations.
Flakka's similarity to 'bath salts' implies a high potential to cause violent behavior and other negative psychosocial consequences when taken, especially when used in high doses (drugabuse.com).
E-cigarettes

​E-cigarettes, also commonly known as vaporizers, cloud pens and e-hookahs fill an individuals lungs with carcinogens and are illegal if you’re under 18. Although e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, they still contain nicotine and cadmium (like in batteries), along with 10 other harmful known carcinogens. Almost 20% of 11th graders in Eaton County reported having used an electronic vapor product in the past 30 days.  
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According to the Surgeon General's 2016 report on e-cigarette use among youth:
  • E-cigarette use grew 900% among high school students from 2011 to 2015
  • E-cigarettes are the most commonly used form of all tobacco products among youth
  • Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine which can cause addiction and harm to the developing adolescent brain
  • Ingestion of e-cigarette liquids containing nicotine can cause acute toxicity and possibly death if the contents of refill cartridges or bottles containing nicotine are consumed
  • Addiction to e-cigarettes can prime adolescents for use of other addictive substances
  • Gaps in scientific evidence still exist about e-cigarettes, but we do know that aersol from e-sigarettes is not harmless
  • We know enough about e-cigarettes to take action to prevent youth from being harmed by these products
(E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults, A Report of the Surgeon General, 2106)

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Fact Sheet for Parents about E-Cigarettes

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​Monitoring the Future Youth Survey and Youth Perceptions of Harm
The 2016 National Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of drug use and attitudes among American 8th, 10th, and 12th graders found a general decline in perceived risk of harm and disapproval of using a number of substances. For example, fewer 8th graders think that taking Ecstasy (MDMA) or synthetic cathinones ("bath salts") occasionally is harmful, and fewer report disapproval of taking Ecstasy or inhalants regularly. Among 10th graders, there was a decrease in the percentage of students who perceive a risk of harm from the following:
  • trying inhalants or synthetic cathinones once or twice 
  • taking Crack, Vicodin®, or synthetic cathinones occasionally
  • using inhalants regularly 
Bath Salts
Synthetic cathinones, more commonly known as "bath salts," are synthetic (human-made) drugs chemically related to cathinone, a stimulant found in the khat plant. Khat is a shrub grown in East Africa and southern Arabia, and people sometimes chew its leaves for their mild stimulant effects. Synthetic variants of cathinone can be much stronger than the natural product and, in some cases, very dangerous (Baumann, 2014).

Synthetic cathinones are included in a group of drugs that concern public health officials called "new psychoactive substances" (NPS). NPS are unregulated psychoactive (mind-altering) substances that have become newly available on the market and are intended to copy the effects of illegal drugs. Some of these substances may have been around for years but have reentered the market in altered chemical forms or due to renewed popularity.

​In Name Only
Synthetic cathinone products marketed as "bath salts" should not be confused with products such as Epsom salts that people use during bathing. These bathing products have no mind-altering ingredients.
Synthetic cathinones are marketed as cheap substitutes for other stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine, and products sold as Molly (MDMA) often contain synthetic cathinones instead.
​Hookah
Hookahs are water pipes that are used to smoke specially made tobacco that is usually flavored. They are also called a number of different names, including waterpipe, narghile, argileh, shisha, hubble-bubble, and goza. Hookah smoking is typically practiced in groups, with the same mouthpiece passed from person to person.
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In recent years, there has been an increase in hookah use around the world, most notably among youth and college students. The Monitoring the Future survey found that in 2014, about 23% of 12th grade students in the United States had used hookahs in the past year, up from 17% in 2010. In 2014, this rate was slightly higher among boys (25%) than girls (21%). CDC's National Youth Tobacco Survey found that from 2013 to 2014, hookah smoking roughly doubled for middle and high school students in the United States. Current hookah use among high school students rose from 5.2% (770,000) to 9.4% (1.3 million) and for middle school students from 1.1% (120,000) to 2.5% (280,000) over this period.

The RiskAccording to a study published in the 2012 issue of CDC's Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD ), many hookah smokers believe that smoking a hookah carries less risk of tobacco-related disease than cigarette smoking. However, hookah smoke contains many of the same harmful toxins as cigarette smoke and has been associated with lung cancer, respiratory illness, low birth weight, and periodontal disease. According to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO)[550 KB], a hookah smoking session may expose the smoker to more smoke over a longer period of time than occurs when smoking a cigarette. Also, due to the method of smoking—including frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation, and length of the smoking session—hookah smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the same toxins found in cigarette smoke.
Hookah Smoke and Cancer

Health Risks from Hookah

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  • The charcoal used to heat tobacco in the hookah increases the health risks by producing smoke that contains high levels of carbon monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals.
  • A typical 1-hour-long hookah smoking session involves 200 puffs, while an average cigarette is 20 puffs. The volume of smoke inhaled during a typical hookah session is about 90,000 milliliters, compared with 500 to 600 milliliters inhaled when smoking a cigarette.
  • Using a hookah to smoke tobacco poses a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others exposed to the emitted smoke.

Excerpted from :https://www.cdc.gov/features/hookahsmoking/