June 4, 2012
Expert Opinion: Why The Gruesome “Miami Cannibal” Crime Could Just Be One Of Many We See
It’s a crime that shocked the world: A man not just eating a man’s flesh, but his entire face off. It’s one that the imagery alone has traumatized many (including us) as we try to come to grips at how a human being could possibly even contemplate doing such a despicable and throughly horrifying thing.
With various reports claiming that Randy Eugene was under the influence of a new drug called “bath salts”, we consulted Richard Taite, President and CEO of Cliffside Malibu, who informed us that the usage of this street drug is on the rise…. and rise.
And, as we have seen, the consequences of taking it are dire, stomach-churning and utterly beyond comprehension.
There are two reasons, Richard explains, why there has been a surge in the usage of this drug.
“If you can buy an ounce of cocaine for $600 but the equivalent of bath salts for $60 and they produce the same relative effect why wouldn’t an addict do that?” Richard says. “Further, it is much more accessible than cocaine. Now if you are currently a cocaine addict, you will probably only supplement your cocaine usage with bath salts. The bigger danger is with the new user because he has yet to experiment with cocaine due to the accessibility and affordability .
“These users, especially those predisposed to addictive behaviors can get in big trouble real fast. This will affect adolescents in high school and those in their 20?s the most and even if they survive it , depending upon the amount , consistency and duration of usage will most certainly have long-term brain damage.”
If other illegal drugs such as cocaine were considered dangerous, Richard says that “bath salts” pose the most dangers out of any that are currently being peddled on the streets.
Richard explains: “This drug is dangerous, it causes unpredictable behavior, and like any other street drug, there’s really no way to stop people from taking it. The only thing we can do is continue to educate people and create awareness about the devastation it can cause.”
“The client that I spoke to at greatest length about this subject, likened it to smoking crack and said it produced almost the exact same effect.”
But in most cases, people don’t CHEW off someone’s face on crack.
Bath salts have been connected to a range of violent incidents and a spike in emergency room visits since they became popular several years ago. Last fall, the Drug Enforcement Administration banned three chemicals used in bath salts, and 38 states have enacted their own bans, but incidents continue.
