What is “Gray Death” and How is it Affecting the Opioid Crisis?
It may seem strange that some people are willing take unknown substances that can have very serious consequences just to get “high”. Substance abuse however is mental disorder that limits impulse control among other things. Amidst increasingly higher opioid overdose deaths due to the current opioid crisis, with statistics from the CDC reporting over 100 people losing their lives on a daily basis, a new designer drug has hit the street that goes by the name “Gray Death”.
What is Gray Death?
A couple of years prior to the emergence of Gray Death, drug dealers in Plano, Texas, tried selling a drug called “Cheese”. Unbeknownst to the people who bought the drug, the dealers had mixed heroin into the drug. Shortly after the substance started being sold, teen opioid overdose deaths surfaced as a result. People soon became aware of the fact that the new drug Cheese was in fact highly addictive and dangerous.
With the introduction of the drug Gray Death, a similar situation has occurred. Manufacturers of the drug combined several dangerous drugs including fentanyl – one of the leading causes of opioid overdose deaths in the United States.
So, what is Gray Death? There is no way to tell exactly what deadly drug combinations goes into each batch that hits the street because it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer – all of which are sure to contain extremely dangerous chemicals that can lead to opioid overdose deaths. Many of the substances put into the drug are meant to be used on large animals and hold great risk for humans.
Scope of the Problem
Gray Death is another in the line of drugs that contain large amounts of opioids, and as such the scope of the problems that Gray Death creates in particular is difficult to judge because most deaths would just be categorized under opioids such as fentanyl.
The drug has surfaced in the Southeastern states as well as Ohio, Indiana, New York and Wisconsin among others. The number of deaths that were linked to Gray Death between 2015 and 2015 was 45; however, analysts believe that this number is misleading because when the toxicology screening takes place, it doesn’t look for all of the chemicals that may be in the drug, just one or two of the opioids present. So, it is likely that many more deaths can be attributed to the deadly drug combinations found in Gray Death and not just fentanyl or another opioid.
Why Are People Using a Substance With Such an Ominous Name?
The longer an addict abuses a drug such as a prescription painkiller or heroin, the more their body starts to adjust to the effects. Over time, the user becomes more and more tolerant to the drug. This may result in the weaker forms of opioids no longer having the desired effect. If the person doesn’t get something stronger or spend more money to take more of the same drug at a time, they are met with harsh withdrawal symptoms that can seemingly force further abuse.
Many users switch from opioids such as Oxycodone to harder drugs such as heroin or even fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than the classic opioid morphine. Gray Death is another such drug that has a very high potency and therefore would affect a person who has become tolerant.
The abuse of opioids is very dangerous. Get in touch with an addiction specialist through Better Addiction Care today at 1.800.429.7690 for help.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/emerging-trends-alerts
