Get Very Specific About the Danger
It is common for parents to tell their children that they must not use any drugs. They may mention alcohol, marijuana or pills. It is essential to be very specific about the dangers associated with these synthetics and similar drugs. In addition to telling them not to use these substances, tell them these reasons why not:
In addition to telling them not to abuse these substances, tell them these reasons why not:
- The actual contents of any of these pills or packages is completely unpredictable. The dosages are completely uncontrolled. Even the people selling them do not know what the chemicals are. When a person overdoses and arrives at the hospital emergency room (delivered by ambulance or police in restraints), the biggest challenge facing the ER doctors is to determine “What did you TAKE?” Even if someone previously used a drug that was labeled the same thing (for example, ‘Spice’) and everything “went okay,” they say, this next package could contain different chemicals or could be much stronger.
- For many of these chemicals, the difference between a recreational dose and a fatal dose is infinitesimally tiny, meaning that if they get just a tiny bit too much, they could overdose fatally.
- As seen in the examples above, the reactions of some people who have used these drugs have been violent and criminally, psychotically harmful.
- Because the formulas continually change, the drug they are about to consume could be completely new. It’s possible no one knows what the result of taking it is, including the criminal chemists who created it. These drugs are completely uncontrolled and untested.
- The people creating, manufacturing, shipping and selling these drugs care nothing about your child’s health, sanity or life. They are only out to make money, tons of money. It would be terrible to lose everything or harm or even kill someone just because a chemist and a financier supporting him wanted to make millions of dollars.
If your child goes to a club or party, they could be given this drug without their knowing it. You should WARN your children about consuming anything at a party or dance club that could be drugged. This is a very important message. A punch bowl is easy to contaminate with one of these dangerous drugs but a water or soda bottle opened by your child and kept in hand until the drink is gone will be safe.
If a young person goes off to dance somewhere where he does not intimately know all the people, he needs to take his drink with him or get a fresh one when he is done. He should NOT drink from a bottle or glass that has been left exposed for tampering. You may think this is an exaggeration, but it was only a few years ago that the drugs of highest abuse at some U.S. colleges were ‘date rape’ drugs.
