Everett police are warning of a new synthetic drug being marketed to teenagers, after officers arrested two people who are believed to have consumed it over the weekend, officials said.
The new drug, called NBOMe, is a hallucinogen that
even in extremely small amounts can cause “seizures, cardiac and respiratory arrest, and death,” the DEA said in late 2013. “Users are playing Russian roulette.”
In the two incidents in Everett, police said the alleged users displayed strange, self-destructive behavior.
NBOMe, sometimes called “N-bomb” or “Smiles,” is sold in many forms: powder, liquid solution, laced on edible items, and soaked onto paper, the DEA said.
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It is often mistaken for LSD, and sold for as little as $1.50 to $5 a dose, Everett police said in a statement.
“It’s a toxic chemical with horrific side effects” that is being marketed to school-age children, police said.
In November 2013, the DEA made it illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, saying it was “substantially more potent than other hallucinogenic compounds.”
“Drug educators say it’s one of the most disturbing developments in the drug scene in the last 20 years,” police said.
Aneri Pattani can be reached at aneri.pattani@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @apattani95.