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3. ASSESSING THE EXPERIENCE OF USING SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS... m 47
According to their accounts, the impact of the drug on the user was also
unpredictable. They did not experience this unpredictability about themselves
in case of other drugs.
»When I used mef (mephedrone) I got the same feeling as I had when I was young.
I was in a good mood, I could talk to anyone, I was good with everyone, and I
was just talking and talking...the bio (bio-weed) is dangerous I cannot realize
myself, I don’t care about anything. This is illusory, it can change you, it can make
you sick, anything can happen, you can go crazy, and you can do things that de¬
stroy your life.” (Jerob)
SCs are described as being unpredictable due to the novel effects, which could
be different in comparison to the previous SC experiences and experiences
of using other drugs. Participants mentioned multiple unpredictable physical
and psychological effects. Even after prolonged use, SCs could still evoke some
unusual experiences, which are more intense and faster than in case of can¬
nabis and other drugs.
„Cannabis is usually... two and a half hours... the bio-weed has a forty-five-min¬
ute effect at most. This is a big difference. But it would be impossible to tolerate
two and a half hours of this kind of effect that the bio-weed has. This experience
is brutal”. (Szilveszter)
Some participants’ perception of the drug was paranoid, and they used meta¬
phors to express their uncertainty of unpredictable effects of the drug and
their vulnerability against it. They often characterized it as a danger or com¬
pared it with a virus or an epidemic.
»lhis is a kind of virus or epidemic, or I don’t know what... it can infect everyone
and can take anyone to the bottom.” (Jerob)
Rapid alteration of experiences from positive to negative
SCs are described as being unpredictable, because at the beginning, they had
some positive effects, of which participants mentioned relaxation and recrea¬
tional aspects. But after a few consumptions, their experiences rapidly turned
negative, and addiction appeared. Then the aim of consumption was no longer
to reach the positive effects, but to avoid withdrawal symptoms. The partici¬
pants continued the use of the drug in spite of negative experiences due to
the rapid appearance of addiction and also because this drug was mostly
available.