STUDENTS INCREASINGLY TURN TO SYNTHETIC DRUGS TO GET HIGH

An easily accessible drug, often called White Lightning, has made its
way onto Eastern's campus.

The drug, known as "legal cocaine," has become popular for being just
that - legal, and cheap.

"It won't show up in urine, [and] it's cheap," said Henry Spiller,
director of Poison Control in Louisville. "This is why people are
buying it, to replace other drugs, like methamphetamine and cocaine."

Being packaged as a variety of products, such as bug repellant, bath
salts and plant food, the drug has yet to be regulated by the FDA.

Spiller said the substance began making an appearance in Kentucky
around late fall and has evolved into an issue all over the state.
Users are typically in their 20s and have a history with illegal drug
addiction.

Effects of White Lightning include agitation, paranoia and
hallucinations.

"I don't mean hallucinations like [those from] LSD, but combative
behavior, like people are coming to get them," Spiller said. "They
were calling it bath salt or bug repellant, everything, but what it
really is - a drug. Those products don't do that to a person."

Spiller said blood samples from patients contained MDPV, a stimulant
that has never been tested in humans nor intended for use in humans.
He said it is one of many "analogs," which are altered versions of
illegal drugs.

"This is what is sending people to the ER," Spiller said. "This has
never been seen before. It is very new, so we are learning (about it)
as we go."

Many students, like Ben Prewitt, say they know a lot of students who
do White Lightning, but other than the reasoning for doing it, they
know very little about the actual substance.

"People snort it to feel like they are on cocaine," said Prewitt, a
20-year-old sophomore from Williamsburg. "That's basically all there
is to it."

But Spiller said while it offers a pleasurable euphoric feeling, it is
not the same and causes harmful damages.

One source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she watched her
best friend spiral down after she began using white lightning.

"At first she told me it's like a diet pill that makes you happy. I
believed her," the source said. "I then began to see less and less of
her. We had always been so alike, I knew something was wrong when she
began to act different, mostly careless as if she was on top of the
world and nobody else mattered."

The source warned, while White Lightning is legal, it's dangers can
compare to those of illegal substances.

"I would say if you have an addictive personality, don't use this
drug. It's as addictive as anything else. I love my friend, but I hate
White Lightning. I've seen firsthand how it affects people," she said.

Spiller said, initially, there were 20 White Lightning cases in the
first couple of months, but that number has increased to roughly 20
cases in the past two weeks.

He and a Louisiana colleague believed the drug is being created
outside the U.S. with New Orleans being the port of entry. They are
still looking for facts, such as the endurance and half-life, which is
the time period it takes for a dying substance to decrease by half.

Brandi Reynolds, a 20-year-old sophomore from Cincinnati, said she
believes the "high" effect of the drug is short-lived.

"I have a friend that does White Lightning before work to stay
energized," Reynolds said. "She will sometimes do it every 20 minutes."

The drug has been banned in several places, including the state of
Louisiana, but in Kentucky it is still found in a variety of gas
stations and head shops.

In Lexington, White Lightning is sold at Purple Haze, a tattoo parlor,
as a stain remover.

A quarter-gram sells for $15, while a gram sells for
$45.

A store clerk at Purple Haze said they recently began taking a copy of
the consumer's ID and having them sign a release form, authorizing
they will not use the product for any other purpose other than stain
remover.