Activity 2 Post

“The Devil’s Breath.” This is the Colombian street name for a drug that is commonly used in anesthetics in the United States. Scopolamine. It may not sound familiar, but when weaponized, it’s arguably the most powerful and dangerous drug out there. It can turn any given person into a ventriloquist dummy, of sorts, surrendering their free will and making them the puppet of anyone willing to abuse their current state. One Colombian drug dealer simply described it as “Once we’ve got you, we own you” (Dulces Sueños).

Upon searching “scopolamine epidemic” on Google, 44,700 results were yielded. It’s popularity isn’t high, especially when viewing it as a threat, but the potential is there for an incredible weapon of biological warfare. In reading some of the articles that eluded to an epidemic involving scopolamine, a common theme was fear, agitation, and other feelings not of one’s own doing, much like a “date rape” drug. The loss of one’s willpower, however, is what separates it from the rest. According to one article, there have been over 1,200 cases of scopolamine poisonings in Colombia, some of which resulted in individuals doing things like giving up their bank account information to the attackers, even committing violent crimes upon instruction with no ability to resist (Dulces Sueños). Obviously, hearing such sounds pretty extreme, but upon reading the drug’s effects and uses/misuses, the danger is all too real, making these themes validated by scientific facts.

Currently, I don’t think scopolamine abuse can be viewed as an epidemic, but it’s moving in that direction quite fast. It’s not the issue of it being a recreationally used drug, but instead of it becoming a weapon. The cases in Colombia have proven its effectiveness, and being unregulated, people can buy the stuff by the barrel, so I do expect the problems to worsen before the government intervenes. I think the media is perceiving them as an early onset epidemic as opposed to one already at its peak, but I think the main reason for them using the term “epidemic” is to create headlines. It will get people to listen when talking about possible epidemics, just ask Americans about “Swine flu” or ebola, both of which turned out to be mostly hype.

In relation to class, I think this drug would cause a great debate about it’s placement on the CSA schedule. Not only is it available medically, but would students perceive it as highly abusable because of the weaponized form, or would they only consider recreational abuse? I think you’d hear students argue all five categories of the schedule because it’s a drug that is just now becoming weaponized, so some would still see it as just an anesthetic, others as something serious. I think it also relates to the conversations we’ve had about the effects of drugs, ranging from hallucinations to fidgets to seizures. I think the loss of free will while under the influence of it would be a pretty interesting side effect to discuss in its own right.

Palm, J. (n.d.). Drug Abuse-A Global Epidemic – Part 2: Scope of the Problem. Retrieved January 22, 2015, from http://realtruth.org/articles/120712-004.html

A descriptive study of an epidemic of poisoning caused by heroin adulterated with scopolamine. (2000, February 1). Retrieved January 22, 2015, from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/12145017_A_descriptive_study_of_an_epidemic_of_poisoning_caused _by_heroine_adulterated_with_scopolamine

Colombia Criminals Drug Victims with "Scariest Drug" - Scopolamine | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com. (2013, June 19). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/colombia-criminals-continue-to-drug-victims-with-worlds-scariest-drug-scopo/25269/ 

Epidemic of poisoning caused by scopolamine disguised as Rohypnol tablets. (2009, October 1). Retrieved January 22, 2015, from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 26887381_Epidemic_of_poisoning_caused_by_scopolamine_disguised_as_Rohypnol_tablets

Living Green with Martine: Dulces Sueños - The Epidemic of Escopolamina. (2011, September 18). Retrieved January 22, 2015, from http://livinggreenwithmartine.blogspot.com/2011/09/dulces-suenos-epidemic-of-escopolamina.html