Coke Zero But Zero Purity: Malta Has A Problem With Dangerous Synthetic Cocaine
Teens and adults alike are using it to alter their minds after a stressful week’s work or simply to get a ride on the buzz-train trend that has engulfed many these days.
Mind-altering drugs are certainly not a new phenomenon and have long been used for medicinal purposes, social gatherings, and ceremonial purposes.
However, concerns are growing that drugs product consumed by the preceding generation were more genuine than they are these days.
Black-market dealers are nowadays overly cutting cocaine with synthetic compounds amongst other newly introduced cutting agents, resulting in a potentially stronger substance.
These agents are added to the cocaine during the cooking process, reducing the amount of actual cocaine. Users won’t be able to tell the difference and these destructive components are often only discovered when cases reach the E.R and a toxicity test is done.
Synthetic substances have been attributed to a rise in cases of anxiety, delirium and other mental health issues.
“I still go to parties and clubbing events but surely I won’t dabble in drugs,” a 50-year-old raver told Lovin Malta. “We used to party and enjoy the night but it isn’t the same coke these days. The coke found on the market today literally fries your mind.”
“It’s being distributed in plain sight to the younger generation. Their minds haven’t yet fully developed, imagine the toll on their brains”.
One must ask whether synthetic cocaine is in any way contributing to patterns of dreadful behaviour we’ve seen across our beloved nation and whether the authorities are taking any sort of action?
What could be done in this regard? The instinct may well be to call for stronger enforcement, but regulating the drug while raising awareness could actually be a better way forward.
We’ve been imposing a war on these substances for decades and yet demand for them is clearly still there, if it hasn’t even increased. Regulating the drug would allow the authorities to control the supply and at least, we would try our best to remove such harmful synthetic substances from the hands of our future generations.
Do you feel that synthetic cocaine usage is on the rise in Malta?