Designer Drugs - The Law

The Law

Under the Controlled Substances Act, the manufacture, distribution, and possession of designer drugs carries the same penalties as the manufacture, distribution, and possession of controlled substances.

Anyone who possesses, manufactures, or sells a Schedule I drug risks hefty fines and a prison sentence of twenty years. Repeat offenders receive even harsher punishment. If the drug manufactured or sold by someone results in a user's death, the drug maker and dealer risk life in prison. 2C-B, ecstasy, and GHB are considered Schedule I drugs.

Designer Drug Lingo

Designer drug talk has its own vocabulary. Here are some examples:

  • Ketamine is frequently mixed with a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine. When taken at the same time, this combination is referred to as "trail mix."
  • "Candy flipping," or the practice of using ecstasy and the hallucinogenic drug LSD together, has landed many users in the hospital.
  • "Embalming fluid" is a common street slang term for PCP. Confusion about the origin of the term may have led to a dangerous trend: experimental drug users have actually mixed PCP with formaldehyde (or other embalming chemicals) and used it as a recreational psychoactive drug—a drug that alters the user's mental state or changes behavior.
  • Hospitals report that the physical effects of highs associated with "wet" or "dipsticks" (marijuana rolled into joints that are then dipped in embalming fluid) are nearly identical to those long associated with PCP use.

Involvement with Schedule II and Schedule III drugs is also illegal and can result in jail terms and thousands of dollars in fines. The designer drugs methamphetamine and PCP are Schedule II drugs. Ketamine is a Schedule III drug.