MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - Three alleged members of a gang, involved in the distribution of the highly dangerous ‘spice’ drug, were arrested in Moscow, m24.ru reported on Tuesday.
“We are facing mass intoxications after the use of an unknown substance which has a striking effect on the psyche,” said Mikhail Gabrilyants, Advisor to the Director of the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia (FDCS) in a statement cited by LifeNews on Monday. “The substance may cause convulsions and respiratory arrest. Its constant use can result in dementia, mental disorders and complete disability, in other words the spice addict can become a vegetable. The average age of people trying the drug is 24 years old, but there are also teenage users.”
‘Spice’ is a highly dangerous narcotic, consisting of a wide range of herbal smoking mixtures that have an effect similar to marijuana. Such mixtures are often positioned as marijuana’s “legal” alternative and are relatively easy to find and buy, as stated by the US-based National Institute on Drug Abuse. The drug heavily affects human brain, causing hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety and, in some cases, has a deadly effect.
Over last two weeks, 25 Russian residents were reported killed and 700 more suffering from various health problems as result of “spice” intoxication, as stated by m24.ru. On Monday, the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, Veronika Skvortsova, told RIA Novosti that it is necessary to establish how several 6-Kg bags of the drug entered Russia’s territory.
According to FDCS, the distribution of the drug has currently been stopped. In addition, the Russian Federation Council has established a working group responsible for the development of a relevant legal document, which will allow to put ‘spice’ on the list of illegal drugs without any additional government regulations.
