Designer drugs will continue to kill young people because there’s almost nothing police can do to prevent their sale, says a Fort McMurray RCMP officer.
Const. Michael Jaszczyszyn has spent four years investigating the use of designer drugs — drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana, cocaine or LSD but are manufactured in makeshift labs.
The drugs are legal to sell and consume. They’re sold as incense in hemp or head shops across the country, and are labelled ‘not for human consumption,’ but buyers smoke the material as a form of synthetic marijuana, he said.
Last week, a Fort McMurray teen died from what his family said were complications of taking a synthetic designer drug.
Jaszczyszyn is not involved in the investigation into Logan Heck’s death, but said the drugs sold under names such as K2, Spice, N-bomb and I25, will continue to grow in popularity because users believe if they are legal, they must be safe.
“It’s quite the marketing scheme,” Jaszczyszyn told CBC’s Edmonton AM.
While lawmakers have legislated against some of the drugs, producers merely change the formula to make it legal again.