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Synthetic Drug Use Occurring Across Age Groups
A Grand Forks police drug recognition expert says it's not only young people who are using synthetic drugs.
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A Grand Forks police drug recognition expert says it's not only young people who are using synthetic drugs.
Sergeant Travis Jacobson says police are seeing synthetic drug use among various age groups since synthetics typically do not show up in drug testing.
"Synthetic it's actually being made in a lab," said Jacobson. "The reason they make synthetic, a lot of times, is to forego the drug test. A lot of these substances are not found on your regular drug panel screenings. People will use the synthetics versus the real stuff because they want to keep their job."
The Grand Forks School District has sent out an e-mail to more than 4,500 parents, urging them to watch for any sign of synthetic drug use. Unusual behavior is one indication.
Authorities are on high alert due to a bad batch of drugs circulating throughout the Red River Valley.
An 18-year-old East Grand Forks man has been charged with murder, manslaughter and supplying drugs to a 17-year-old Park Rapids boy who died after he took a synthetic drug mixed in with chocolate.
A 22-year-old Grand Forks man has been charged for providing a drug that killed an 18-year-old Grand Forks man.
(KFGO file photo)
Paul Jurgens
