Police Warn of New Synthetic Drug in Texas

MARSHALL — Marshall Police Chief Jesus “Eddie” Campa has issued a warning about “flakka,” a new synthetic drug that has made its way into Texas. KETK reports the drug was initially reported as hitting the streets of Florida. News of its move into Texas came in a report earlier this month from the North Texas Poison Control Center at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. The drug, also known on the street as “gravel,” comes in crystalline rock form. It can be swallowed, snorted, injected, or used in an e-cigarette and vaped. Though there haven’t yet been any reports of the drug in Marshall, Campa warns citizens to be on the lookout as flakka can cause fatal side effects, which include agitation, incoherence, violent behavior, increased strength, increased body temperatures (up to 105 degrees) and paranoia.