It’s not often that Sherwood, Oregon – a small, quiet suburb located southwest of Portland – makes the front page news – especially for stories related to drugs. But it did the first weekend of February 2014, when two teenage girls ended up in the hospital after using a dangerous and relatively new designer drug. The drug – officially known as 25i-NBOMe – is most commonly referred to as simply “25I” or “N-Bomb”. “Smiles” is another nickname for N-Bomb and other closely related substances.
Fortunately for the Oregon teens, an off-duty deputy sheriff spotted them on the roadside as one of the girls was having a seizure. He stopped and called an ambulance, only to have the other girl soon start seizing as well. These girls survived, but several other teens experimenting with the deadly LSD-like drug haven’t been as lucky. It’s been estimated that at least 19 deaths in the past couple of years are linked to the drug.
Needless to say, the drug has the authorities – as well as many parents – very concerned. One of the biggest problems is that the drug is often sold as LSD. Although it’s similar to LSD in many ways, its effects can be significantly more dangerous.
Legal Issues
Unfortunately, designer drugs often slip through the cracks in terms of drug enforcement, making them legal until deemed otherwise by the authorities. With regards to N-Bomb, which had previously been legal, the fatalities linked to its use resulted in the Drug Enforcement Administration classifying it as a Schedule I controlled substance in October 2013. The authorities have not been lenient with those individuals who either sold or supplied the drug to those who have suffered or died from its effects.
In the case of the two girls from Oregon, an adolescent boy was taken into custody for allegedly supplying them with the drug. A total of 15 individuals have been charged in connection to the deaths of Elijah Stai and Christian Bjerk, a law-enforcement endeavor that’s been aptly dubbed “Operation Stolen Youth”. Adam Budge, the 18 year-old friend who gave the drug to Stai, is facing murder charges for his death. Charles Carlton, a 29-year-old man from Katy, Texas, pleaded guilty to numerous charges related to the two teens’ deaths, including possession with intent to distribute. He had sold the deadly drugs via his online business, Motion Resources [7].
Potent Hallucinogen
N-Bomb is a hallucinogenic designer drug that is often likened to LSD, although some say that it’s up to 25 times more potent. Designer drugs are synthetically produced by altering the chemical structure of existing drugs, like cocaine or marijuana. They are meant to be used recreationally, and mimic the effects of the other drugs. N-Bomb is actually derived from phenethylamine, commonly known as mescaline. Mescaline is a natural substance found in the peyote cactus. Mescaline’s use as a recreational drug became illegal in the U.S. in 1970, due to its psychedelic properties.
N-Bomb and other hallucinogens are known for causing powerfully altered perceptions, including brightly colored and widely distorted visual images. Some users of the drug have described its effects as “Nirvana” and “ecstasy”, reporting “trips” very similar to those experienced with LSD. As is typically the case with psychedelics, the unpredictable effects of N-Bomb have varied widely from one individual to the next.
Pleasurable effects of N-Bomb may include:
- Euphoria
- Bright moving colors and other vivid visual hallucinations
- Spiritual “awakening”
- A sense of profoundness
- Positive mood
- Enhanced awareness
- Enhanced creativity
- Loving feelings
- Sexual sensations and enhanced desire
Side effects of N-Bomb may include:
- Psychosis
- Altered state of consciousness
- Agitation
- Erratic behavior
- Chills, flushing
- Severe double vision
- Teeth grinding, jaw clenching
- Dilated pupils
- Depressed mood
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Intense negative emotions
- Paranoia
- Intense anxiety
- Muscle spasms and contractions
- Insomnia
- Impaired communication
- Vasoconstriction
- Swelling of feet, hands, face
- Kidney damage / failure
- Seizures
- Heart failure
- Coma
- Asphyxiation Article Link…