The Cannabis Cannibal? Miami Face-Eater Didn’t Take ‘Bath Salts’

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The toxicology report has come in on Rudy Eugene, the perpetrator of a brutal face-eating attack on a Miami causeway that left a homeless man permanently disfigured. After weeks of breathless speculation about the drugs that could have caused this case of zombie cannibalism — namely so-called bath salts — the Miami-Dade medical examiner found no such drug in Eugene’s system.

The sole substance detected? Marijuana.

The Miami Herald reports:

The [medical examiner’s] office said it sought the help of an outside forensic toxicology lab, “which has confirmed the absence of ‘bath salts,’ synthetic marijuana and LSD.” The ME’s office said that “within the limits of current technology by both laboratories,” marijuana was the only drug found in Eugene’s system.

Eugene was shot dead by police on May 26, when he would not cease his gory assault. Widespread media reports afterward suggested that he could have been taking the synthetic stimulant drugs sold as bath salts, which have been previously associated with other cases of psychotic behavior.

Despite the fact that Eugene had no synthetic drugs in his system, it’s likely that his case will still be used for years as an example of what bath salts can make people do. If our history of wrong-headed beliefs about drugs is any indication, the association between bath salts and dangerous behavior will stick simply because it surfaced early. Since bath salts just arrived on the illegal market and remain untested and mysterious to many people, they will cling in ignorance to the horror stories about them.

In contrast, the same hysteria no longer applies to marijuana because American’s widespread personal experience with the drug — nearly 70% of people in some age groups have tried it — means they know it doesn’t trigger psychotic behavior in otherwise sane people.

That wasn’t the case in the early 2oth century, however. In the 1930s, after the release of the hyperbolic anti-marijuana film Reefer Madness, people took its claims — that smoking weed leads to  killing, suicide, rape and general insanity — seriously, because most had no idea what marijuana was. They didn’t have the frame of reference necessary to reject the idea that it could cause irrational violence or moral deviance.

PCP was another drug that was demonized early on, with many suggesting that it caused uniquely bizarre violent behavior and superstrength. The “classic” cases mainly turned out not to be related to the drug. Nonetheless, these very myths were used by the police to justify their excessive use of force in the 1991 beating of L.A. motorist Rodney King. He, too, turned out not to have been on the drug when he was assaulted. (Indeed, PCP actually weakens muscle strength, at least in studies of mice.)

Similarly, in the early 1980s, with rising popularity of crack cocaine, Americans believed the drug was capable of driving women into prostitution and turning men into casual killers. The data later showed that the effects of the drug were no different from those of powder cocaine, which could also be injected to cause a high of equal intensity. The only thing different about crack was that it could be smoked.

The wave of “crack-caused” crime in the ’80s and ’90s was almost completely due to turf battles over the market for the new stuff. That is, it wasn’t crack use itself, but the violence related to drug dealing that resulted in crime. Media attention and crack-related crime has since fallen off, but the rate of daily crack use by high school seniors has stayed the same since it was first measured in 1987. That rate is 0.1%, although the proportion of high-school seniors who reported using crack at least once in the last year fell from 4% to 1%.

We don’t yet know all the ways in which bath salts affect users, but the history of drug scare stories and their negative effects on policy should give us pause. Misconceptions about crack resulted in harsh laws with racist effects: 1 in 3 young African American males enters the criminal justice system, a statistic largely driven by drug charges — a rate far higher than for whites, despite the fact that whites and blacks use drugs at similar rates.

The Miami case represents the tragedy of untreated mental illness, not drug use alone. While mental illness can be exacerbated by marijuana and other drugs, such cases shouldn’t lead to criminal crackdowns. That’s not to say that people should be allowed to take drugs that haven’t been thoroughly tested on humans — but current policies didn’t keep marijuana away from a seriously mentally ill man either.

If we want to prevent such violence, we need to focus on its genuine causes, not sensational claims about what drugs “make” people do.

 




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Deranged woman tried to strangle her pit bull and bite a police officer before she died

A New York woman, allegedly high on “bath salts”, was killed after police tasered her. Onlookers photographed Pamela McCarthy, who was attacking her three-year-old son.

The 35-year-old went into cardiac arrest after a run in with state troopers outside her apartment in Munnsville on Tuesday. The police were called to the scene at 7.45pm with reports that McCarthy was punching and choking her toddler and trying to strangle her pit-bull. A neighbor then photographed her running towards her terrified son, who sought refuge with his father, Jason Williams.

McCarthy’s attack is just one in a spate of violent incidents reported across the United States involving the drugs “bath salts”, a synthetic drug, known as “the new LSD”.

Last month, Rudy Eugene, who was believed to be on “bath salts” chewed off homeless man, Ronald Poppo’s face, in Miami. In Louisiana, Carl Jacquneaux also bit off a piece of his neighbor’s cheek. Earlier this week a North Miami man stripped naked and exposed himself to a three-year-old girl while on the drug.

In fact these attacks, thought to be the blame of this legal drug, are becoming so prevalent that the media is now labeling them under the term “Zombie Apocalypse”.

A neighbor who witnessed McCarthy’s attack told NewsChannel 9 WSYR “She was... just running back and forth around the street and she got a hold of one of her dogs and she was rolling around on the ground with her legs wrapped around it - she was strangling the dog.”

Another said: 'She was definitely on something. Who does that?'

When the police arrived McCarthy was described as “violently combative” and growled at the police, and even tried to bite one of the officers.

State trooper Christopher Budlong tried to subdue her using pepper spray, but it had no effect. He then used a taser on the woman but was unable to handcuff her. She was then taken into custody and later went into cardiac arrest.

Her boyfriend Williams said she had a history of drug abuse but he was shocked by her behavior. Their son luckily escaped the attack with minor injuries and is now in the custody of William’s mother.

He said, “I told her mom, "She needs help'," Williams told WSYR. 'Everyone says to get rid of her because I tell all mean stories. I got nothing good to say. I love her…love her to death…then I seen that.”

Here’s the ABC News report:

Here’s the CNYCentralNews eyewitness report:

 




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NOBODY DIED FROM LACK OF SLEEP, AA MYTHs

Beyond leaving you drowsy and irritable, sleepless nights can take aserious toll on your physical and mental health.

"We know sleep is a critical biological function that influences a wide variety of physiological process," said Dr. Susan Redline, a sleep specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "Sleep deficiency can affect mood and the ability to make memories and learn, but it also affects metabolism, appetite, blood pressure, levels of inflammation in the body and perhaps even the immune response."

Lack of sleep has been linked to stroke, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression, and the country's No. 1 killers: heart disease and cancer. Read on to learn the health hazards of sleep deficiency and how you can sleep better.

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Stroke

A new study of more than 5,600 people found those who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to suffer a stroke than their well-rested counterparts.

"We speculate that short sleep duration is a precursor to other traditional stroke risk factors, and once these traditional stroke risk factors are present, then perhaps they become stronger risk factors than sleep duration alone," Megan Ruiter of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said in a statement.

The study was presented today at the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston, Mass.

Stroke risk is also higher in people who are overweight, diabetic or hypertensive -- all conditions linked to poor sleep.

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Obesity and Diabetes

Sporadic and irregular sleep can raise blood sugar levels and slow the body's metabolism,increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes, according to an April 2012 study published in Science Translational Medicine.

"The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health," said study author Orfeu Buxton, a neuroscientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Sleep deficiency can also lead to bad food choices, according to a study that found the sight of unhealthy food activated reward centers in the brains of sleep-deprived people.

"The results suggest that, under restricted sleep, individuals will find unhealthy foods highly salient and rewarding, which may lead to greater consumption of those foods," said Marie-Pierre St-Onge from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center and Columbia University in New York, and lead author of the study presented today at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston. "Indeed, food intake data from this same study showed that participants ate more overall and consumed more fat after a period of sleep restriction compared to regular sleep."

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Anxiety and Depression

Sure, sleepless nights make for miserable mornings. But chronic sleep deficiency can lead to anxiety and depression -- both serious mood disorders.

"People feel more anxious, restless, irritable, less satisfied," said Dr. Mark Dyken, director of the University of Iowa's Sleep Disorders Center in Iowa City, adding sleep deficiency can impact careers and relationships. "They have difficulty focusing and sometimes feel like they just don't care anymore."

Brain imaging suggests sleep deprivation can boost activity in the brain's emotional centers, according to a study presented today at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston.

"Our results suggest that just one night of sleep loss significantly alters the optimal functioning of this essential brain process, especially among anxious individuals," study author Andrea Goldstein from the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement. "This is perhaps never more relevant considering the continued erosion of sleep time that continues to occur across society."

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Cancer

Sleep deficiency has also been linked to an increased risk of cancer.

A 2008 study published in the British Journal of Cancer found women who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely develop breast cancer, and a 2010 study published in the journal Cancer found those who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to have colorectal polyps, which can lead to colon cancer.

The biological mechanisms are unclear, but lack of sleep has been shown to boost levels of inflammation in the body and interfere with the immune response, both of which have been implicated in cancer.

"Sleep is restorative," said Dyken. "And if you don't get it, your health will suffer."

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Heart Disease

Short and sporadic sleep may also raise the risk of heart disease.

A 2011 study published in the European Heart Journal found people who slept fewer than six hours a night were 48 percent more likely to develop or die from heart disease.

The link could have something to do with levels of inflammation in the body, but the researchers also found higher blood pressure and cholesterol in people with sleep deficiency.

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Get Your Sleep

With hectic work and family schedules, getting a good night's sleep is no easy feat. But experts say a little planning can go a long way, helping you feel refreshed the next morning and for many to come.

"Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet, and avoid reading anything that's going to make you excited or worried," said Dyken. "Try not to exercise or eat a big meal within three hours of your bedtime, but don't go to bed hungry, either."

Caffeine and alcohol can also interfere with sleep, according to Redline.

"Much of sleep deficiency is self-inflicted," she said. "But adults should do their best to get to bed at regular times and aim to have 7.5 hours on average of sleep. Set your schedule such that you honor and respect your sleep needs."

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A mind-altering drug banned in Britain two years ago is being blamed for the spate of cannibal attacks in America.

Narcotic Cloud Nine was blamed for the attack when Rudy Eugene ate 75% of homeless man Ronald Poppo’s face in Miami last month.

Horrific images surfaced of the attack that only ended once police shot and killed 31-year-old Eugene.

Mr Poppo is still recovering from his injuries in hospital.

Police are now warning people to stay away from Cloud Nine – also known as ‘bath salts’ - after two similar attacks were reported.

The most recent prompted an internal memo to police warning officers the case “bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man’s face”.

The memo called the synthetic drug “addictive and dangerous” and said it was part of a “disturbing trend in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products”.

It added: “Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.”

 

This undated booking mug made available by the Miami-Dade Police Dept., shows Rudy EugeneRudy Eugene, 31: Ate 75% of a man's face in Miami before being shot dead

AP

Brandon De Leon, who allegedly tried to bite and threatening to eat two policemen in MiamiBrandon De Leon, 21: Tried to bite two police officers after he was arrested in North Miami BeachCarl Jacquneaux, who was arrested for allegedly biting another man's faceCarl Jacquneaux, 43: Bit a man's face in Scott, Louisiania. Wasp spray was used to end the attackAlexander KinyuaAlex Kinyua, 21: Accused of eating the heart and brain of friend in Maryland

Splash

The Silence of the LambsHorror: Film cannibal Hannibal Lecter

Channel 5

 

During the latest attack homeless Brendon De Leon threatened to eat two Miami police officers and had to be fitted with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask to prevent him carrying his threats out.

He had been arrested for disturbing the peace in North Miami Beach while high on drugs and put in a police cruiser when he slammed his head against the plexiglass divider and shouted: “I’m going to eat you” to officers before growling and baring his teeth.

Miami police said they believe he was on a cocktail of drugs including Cloud Nine.

In another case, Carl Jacquneaux, 43, was accused of attacking Todd Credeur in his front garden in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after being upset over a domestic issue while under the influence of what is said to be bath salts.

Jacquneaux bit Mr Credeur before being sprayed in the face with wasp spray.

Scott Assistant Police Chief Kert Thomas said: “During the attack, the suspect bit a chunk of the victim’s face off.”

Jacquneaux was then said to have left the property and gone to another man’s home where he held him at knife-point and stole a handgun before being apprehended by police.

The drug, which is also known as Ivory Wave, was blamed for several deaths in Britain during 2010 before being banned. It is also illegal in Australia.

The potentially addictive drug stimulates the central nervous system and symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia and erratic behaviour and is often sold in plain packaging with the contents purporting to be harmless.

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