New synthetic drug 'Smiles' targeted towards teens

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Officials across the country are educating parents and young teenagers about the dangers of a new synthetic drug that is rapidly expanding across the country.

2C-1, or "Smiles", is a powder-like substance primarily sold over the internet and targeted to young teenagers.

The hallucinative drug causes a variety of effects, including vomiting, nausea, audio and visual hallucinations, giddiness, relaxation, and empathy (among others), according to LiveScience .

CBSNews.com explained "Smiles," are in the class of drugs known as phenethylamines. 2C drugs are "basically just amphetamines," Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, professor of emergency medicine in the division of medical toxicology at NYU Langone School of Medicine in New York City.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse labels the drug as a Schedule I controlled substance. The drug is illegal to manufacture, buy, sell, or possess in the United States.

Dr. Harris Stratyner from the Caron Treatment Centers told WCBS in New York the drug is often times mixed with chocolate and eaten like candy. The drug generally comes in a powder or pill form.

Unlike cocaine and other drugs which produce immediate reactions, often times the effects of 'Smiles' are delayed. Teenagers continue taking the drug waiting for the high - which leads to overdosing. Makers of the drug, lacking quality control, can over-or-under produce doses or ingredients.

The drug is linked to very high blood pressure, rapidly-accelerating heart rates, kidney failure, and even death.

The drug has been linked to the deaths of two teenagers in North Dakota. The death of actor Johnny Lewis, from Sons of Anarchy, may have also been caused by the drug.

The Indiana Poison Center hasn't reported any cases in the state, according to NewsChannel 15 sister station WISH-TV.