Kiwi’s disturbing film clip shows couple after taking ‘zombie’ drug

An Auckland man has posted a disturbing video online of two people almost comatose from using drugs.

The man, who attended high school in Auckland, says the young woman barely able to sit upright in the video is his sister and he posted the video because he is sick of seeing young people using drugs.

In the video a woman and a young man sitting at a table appear to be experiencing some kind of trauma.

A man’s voice can be heard repeatedly asking: “Are you all right? Are you all right?” The only response from the pair is a deep-throated groaning sound as they writhe in their chairs.

The poster says on Facebook: “I’m gonna post up a video this is just to aware all the whanau out there what drugs do to you, I know a lot of people won’t agree that I put it up cause it is my sister but I don’t care, I’m [f******] sick of seeing our youth do this [****] and tired of our youth doing nothing better . . . sorry.”

It is not clear what the pair have taken, but on the video the man says: “Update: Its basically bath salts which is synthetic stimulants but it could be spice which is synthetic marijuana. Either way both do the same thing.” Spice is a synthetic cannabis and is extremely potent. It is at the centre of an epidemic across Britain and the United States, with many pictures showing users slumped in trance-like states, leading it to be described as a zombie drug.

It was reportedly innocently invented by a US scientist examining the effects of cannabis on the brain.

Massey University researcher Associate Professor Chris Wilkins said “bath salts” and “spice” were vague terms so it was difficult to know what the products contained.

“One of the risks is that when you buy products that are sold to you as ‘spice’ it can actually be a whole range of different synthetic cannabinoids, some of which are really dangerous.

HTo see the video visit nzherald.co.nz

“If someone sells you ‘bath salts’ it usually means they don’t have any idea what it is. It could be anything. “That’s the real danger. “The best advice is don’t buy them and don’t use them.”

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said “bath salts” could be one of a number of different compounds, some of which were dangerous.

The name came from their appearance: white crystals that some liken to bath salts. The foundation calls them “mysterious white powders”.

Two of such powders the foundation is aware of are:

Mephedrone — a stimulant that is chemically similar to amphetamines and produces effects like those of Ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines.

Alpha-PVP, also called gravel, flakka or niff — the foundation says a study had found it acted as a “stimulant for rats and that their behaviour became increasingly bizarre at higher doses”.

Bell said alpha-PVP, often sold as Ecstasy, caused the death of a 23-year-old in New Zealand in 2015.