Good morning, dear reader,
if you have one, there is nothing more important in the world. They love him more than anything and would do anything to make him happy. You fed it back when it was small and light in your arms. Cheered for his first steps and took his laughter into your heart. The first sentences were a feast, curious sequences of words that made sense if you listened closely. Later the first day of school: a holiday for the whole family! You were so proud of your darling.
Sure, there were the annoying moments too: The nagging before going to bed, the ketchup on the white pants, the crying fit when there was no lollipop at the supermarket checkout. But these were all small things compared to the huge gift you received every day: your child’s love. They returned his affection, watched him grow up and mature from child to teenager. It began to go its own way and now met up with friends in the evenings. Of course not for too long, after all, at 13 you are still half a child. But you didn’t want to be a spoilsport. You were happy that your darling stepped into the world so curiously.
And then suddenly the police officers were at your front door. Serious-faced officials with a message that instantly made your blood run cold: your child is dead. He died of an overdose. Killed by a beastly drug you would never have guessed here in your small town: “The Punisher” the stuff is called “the punisher”. The blue pills contain up to 300 milligrams of a synthetic drug called 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine – a word that one can hardly read, let alone understand. But what everyone understands: it is three times stronger than conventional ecstasy pills. An unpredictable substance that lets the body ride a roller coaster: if you are strong, you feel strong as an ox, overjoyed, endlessly awake. Those who are weaker go crazy: eye twitching and jaw grinding, sweating alternate with tremors, muscle spasms, then hallucinations, sleep disorders, panic attacks. The heart races, the brain seems to burst. And then possibly: Exit. It is a nightmare that has now also afflicted the first families in this country.
The ecstasy pill “The Punisher” is named after a cartoon character. (Source: www.saferparty.ch)
After several deaths of teenagers in Great Britain, two teenagers have died in East Germany, in both cases the new ecstasy pill is said to be to blame. A 15-year-old died in Brandenburg at the weekend. A 13-year-old schoolgirl died yesterday in Altentreptow in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Her 15-year-old friend is in the hospital. A 14-year-old from Neubrandenburg is fighting for her life in the intensive care unit. In all cases, the police suspect the blue devil stuff as the cause. An arrest warrant has been issued for a 37-year-old suspect who is said to have traded the pills. The authorities assume that there are still heaps of pills in circulation in the region and warn the population urgently about the drug: Even a single pill can be deadly.
However, the problem is by no means regionally limited and it does not only affect fringe groups: In addition to heroin, cocaine and crack, more and more synthetic drugs are flooding the illegal German market – and are claiming more and more victims: Almost 2,000 people died last year as a result of drug use. That is almost nine percent more than in the previous year, the highest level in the last twenty years. In the EU, Germany is the lone leader.
Experts blame a variety of reasons for this:
More and more people are slipping in economic hardship and try to alleviate their worries by escaping from the world.
With many young partygoers the colorful pills are considered harmless stimulants.
Latin American cartels have perfected their smuggling routes into Europe, most notably the Port of Hamburg considered a gateway for hard drugs. Customs and police trot behind the problem.
The drug mafia is now also producing here: “A disturbing example is the recent observation that Mexican criminal groups started manufacturing synthetic drugs in the European Union,” says the EU Commission’s drug report.
Die Taliban in Afghanistan recently banned opium cultivation. Less heroin is therefore getting to Europe, but the demand for synthetic substances such as fentanyl and ecstasy is likely to increase all the faster.
This is why small dealers are increasingly offering colorful pills. They represent a deadly danger, especially for young people whose bodies are not yet fully developed. Drug investigators may be able to alleviate the problem, but they cannot solve it.
What is urgently needed is more enlightenment: in schools, on TV, on social media. And of course first of all in the The family. If you have children or grandchildren who like to party, it would be a good idea to tell them about the colorful pills. That look so harmless – and are so extremely dangerous.
ear candy
Glutofen Europa
(Source: Temperature data from Berkeley Earth, NOAA, UK Met Office, MeteoSwiss, DWD, SMHI, UoR & ZAMG via showyourstripes.com)
After severe storms in spring, southern Europe is now experiencing a blatant heat wave. In some regions it is – brace yourself – 20 degrees warmer than usual at this time of year. The consequences of man-made climate change are brutal and overtake us in Europe even faster than feared. My colleague Theresa Crysmann gives you an overview of the current hotspots. In southern Italy, researchers have indications of a possible imminent outbreak of the virus most dangerous volcano in Europe found: The eruption of the “Phlegraean Fields” could trigger a catastrophe.
The Federal Statistical Office today presented new figures on how many heat-related deaths there have been in this country since 2001. It should be tens of thousands. Older and sick people in particular have an increased risk of death. The climate crisis can be felt all over the world. Despite this, most people still act like it’s none of their business. The Bible tells the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Quite possible that it will soon get a modern sequel.
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