MARIANNA, Fla. (WMBB) — Alpha-PVP, or Flakka, is a highly addictive and dangerous drug– similar to the street drug known as bath salts.
Marianna Police officers said it’s starting to pick up popularity in the area.
“Yeah, we’ve had several calls lately of individuals displaying the symptoms or signs that they had been under the influence of Flakka, or bath salts if you will, or synthetic drug,” Marianna Police Chief Hayes Baggett said.
Chief Baggett said those individuals would often claim to be on another type of drug, like ecstasy.
Flakka can be laced with other drugs.
However, it’s typically used as a cheap alternative to cocaine and amphetamines.
“In East Asia and East Africa, they use it as a stimulant in order to help give themselves some energy during work, kind of like how we drink coffee,” Dr. Chiemela Ubani said. “And when it’s synthetically derived, it’s more potent and can potentially be dangerous.”
Baggett said they’ve seen many people overdose from the drug.
He said it used to be popular about five years ago and it wasn’t until six months ago they started receiving calls on it again.
“You know people talking to themselves beside the road, being real agitated, dancing around, we’ve had a couple jumping out into traffic,” Chief Baggett said.
Baggett said often, the person needs medical attention.
If you see someone displaying this kind of behavior, call your local law enforcement.