Legal, common ‘meth alternative’ has WV police issuing stern warning to America

The scourge of narcotics in America today is growing not only in size, but in scope as well.

We are finding ourselves increasingly at risk for addiction, thanks in no small part to the role of Big Pharma in our everyday lives.  These pill peddlers have created any number of highly addictive substances, often used to treat pain for mental illness, and are actively pushing doctors to prescribe them to us.  This corporate greed has made users and abusers out of millions of Americans, and has spawned an epidemic of illegal drug use and death.

As the doctor-prescribed versions of these chemicals become difficult to obtain, addicts are turning to dangerous alternatives to get their fix.

Way down deep in the addiction spiral we find some of the more bizarre stories of intoxication via unorthodox intoxicants.  In West Virginia in 2019, that story involves wasp spray.

Several people in a county in West Virginia recently overdosed from wasp spray, which they used as an alternative to methamphetamine, according to news reports.

Police in Boone County say they’ve seen a rise in residents abusing wasp spray to achieve a meth-like high, according to local news outlet WCHS. The practice is believed to have played a role in three overdoses in the county last week, WCHS reported.

“People are making a synthetic type [of] methamphetamine out of wasp spray,” Sgt. Charles Sutphin, of the West Virginia State Police, told WCHS.

This misuse of poison spray is highly dangerous.

Bug sprays contain active ingredients called pyrethroids, which stun and kill insects; but in humans, the chemicals can interfere with nerve signaling, which can lead to abnormal sensations, and in some cases, seizures or paralysis, ABC News reported. The chemicals can also lead to increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, headache, nausea, problems with coordination, and swelling and burning sensations.

At this time, authorities are still unclear as to what the best method of treating wasp spray overdose patients will be.