What Is Flakka? Here's What the Designer Drug Is Made of and Its Effects

On Monday, a man named Travis Gordon was arrested for allegedly stabbing two men in Gifford, Florida, WPBF reported. The stabbing occurred last week, and Gordon is suspected to have been high on flakka, also called gravel — a dangerous designer drug that's cropped up in parts of the United States. This case is the latest in an epidemic of crimes, incidents and even deaths seemingly related to flakka.

"I would say of all the drugs I've seen — cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, Oxycontin — this is the absolute worst," ER doctor Dr. Nail El Sanadi told NBC earlier this month. Flakka usage is on the steady rise, especially with the poor, NBC reported. There were nowhen Rhonda Sanchez overdosed with flakka and other drugs in her system in Deerfield Beach, Florida, according to the Sun-Sentinel. In March, a man high on flakka tried to scale a fence and impaled himself in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CBS reported. The belief of having superhuman strength is a side effect of flakka, NBC reported. This month, a man who also took flakka attempted to break into the police department at Vero Beach, Florida, and spit on the deputy according to NBC. The cases go on.

Flakka and other synthetic drugs were banned in China, after a visit by South Florida law officials in November, the Miami Heraldreported.