promise her anything, but give her

August 25, 2007 1:26 PM

Synth Coke
posted by vronsky (53 comments total)

Only a wallet would know? What the hell does that mean?
posted by mathowie at 1:30 PM on August 25, 2007

Because real coke costs more than $9.95.

Only your wallet knows how much lighter it is.
posted by hototogisu at 1:33 PM on August 25, 2007

So the idea is to get hookers to have sex with you by ostensibly paying in cocaine - but then pulling a bait and switch with a touch of the ole synthetic coke? OK, I've seen classy before and folks? That is on the all time list of classy.
posted by billysumday at 1:35 PM on August 25, 2007

Why buy this when you can get away with mixing a little rat poison and baby laxative?
posted by bashos_frog at 1:36 PM on August 25, 2007

huh - know what I give to the men who give me synth coke? synth sex.
posted by madamjujujive at 1:36 PM on August 25, 2007 [10 favorites]

Only a wallet would know? What the hell does that mean?
posted by mathowie

It means it's the same except for the price. Just like this post is a single-link YouTube post, but camouflaged by linking to another site where the YouTube video is embedded.

You know, for kids.
posted by The Deej at 1:37 PM on August 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

wait, isn't "synthetic coke" basically crystal meth?
posted by Avenger at 1:44 PM on August 25, 2007

This woman says it was also used as a date-rape drug.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:50 PM on August 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ain't nuthin like the real thing, baby.
posted by ZachsMind at 1:57 PM on August 25, 2007

Avenger: meth has no anaesthetic properties. It is synthetic amphetamine. It has almost nothing to do with cocaine at all.
posted by tehloki at 1:57 PM on August 25, 2007

Sounds like synth coke was really ketamine.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:57 PM on August 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

That was a man, damn dirty ape.
posted by Shakeer at 1:58 PM on August 25, 2007

Who gets to play the part of the "gaunt crack whore" tonight? That chick looks to me like-- she must be a--
posted by nervousfritz at 1:59 PM on August 25, 2007

If only the real coke worked like that
posted by geoff. at 2:04 PM on August 25, 2007

It might have been coke, but it's all in what you say.
posted by arialblack at 2:04 PM on August 25, 2007 [2 favorites]

klassy
posted by From Bklyn at 2:07 PM on August 25, 2007

That was a man, damn dirty ape.
Oh my. Not again. Just how many times has he needed to be told that, after the fact.
posted by nowonmai at 2:14 PM on August 25, 2007

I'm going to second PeterMcDermott there. The experience described here and the illicit purpose suggested in the main link point towards ketamine, which happened to emerge in the 80's as a failed cat tranquilizer turned dissociative psychedelic.
posted by tehloki at 2:20 PM on August 25, 2007

Yeah, whatever happened to that woman wasn't in the mannitol (baby laxative) or inositol (a B vitamin) that almost certainly was the "real" synth coke. These were the two most commonly used "cuts" for coke in the 80's; another was lidocaine which had the advantage of being numbing, though it is something you never, ever want to try freebasing.

I can't believe someone actually marketed cut as coke directly to the *customer*. usually, the dealer *pretends* it's actually the drug.

But you can go to prison for selling fake drugs and jail for possession, all the same if you are pretending they are real (which kind of should be a thought crime, come to think of it)-- but otherwise, lots of actual dealers would get off because what they are selling bears no resemblance to cocaine.

Any real coke whore would insist on drugs before sex, and beat drugs ain't gonna get you none.
posted by Maias at 2:39 PM on August 25, 2007

ketamine, which happened to emerge in the 80's as a failed cat tranquilizer

My two vet friends still use it (Ketamine Hydrochloride) in their practise...an effective anaesthetic.
posted by ericb at 2:40 PM on August 25, 2007

At least the end narrator demands that you send your money to Kittery, Maine and has a real Maine accent. This is the real shit! From the smokestacks of the Naval Shipyard straight to your nose! Who can tell the difference?
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:59 PM on August 25, 2007

I was told in the day, and I have no reason to suspect otherwise, that the active ingredient "synth coke" was in fact caffeine.

It's always been illegal to sell prescription drugs -- even veterinarian drugs -- without a prescription. K is expensive, dangerous -- caffeine is cheap, safe, well-understood.

I've been told that ketamine certainly has its uses today as a dissociative anesthetic even on humans, for example on a battlefield, because it depresses the system a heck of a lot less than conventional anesthetics do.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 3:00 PM on August 25, 2007

Ketamine is an excellent anaesthetic. One of the best, really. It puts you right out but doesn't screw with your breathing nearly as much as other anaesthetics can. Very safe.

People didn't much care for the trippy visions, I guess. Too bad. I figure you get to have surgery to fix you up and get fucked up on good shit at the same time! WIN WIN.
posted by Justinian at 3:03 PM on August 25, 2007

Or, what lupus said. Except for my snarky bit at the end.
posted by Justinian at 3:03 PM on August 25, 2007

I've been told that ketamine certainly has its uses today as a dissociative anesthetic even on humans, for example on a battlefield, because it depresses the system a heck of a lot less than conventional anesthetics do.

Yeah, it's still the most common general anaesthetic in young children and very old people, because of the much lower risk of complications.

Any real coke whore would insist on drugs before sex, and beat drugs ain't gonna get you none.

I don't recall that crack whore in Terry Williams' book, (was it The Cocaine Kids or Crack House? I don't recall offhand) insisting that she got the rock *before* she sucked that pit bull's dick. And I'm pretty sure she counted as a 'real' coke whore.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:10 PM on August 25, 2007

K holes are horrendous--don't bother with Ketamine--seriously.
posted by amberglow at 3:28 PM on August 25, 2007

Wait. Ketamine will get you fucked up? My cat's been telling me she's having surgery. I'll bet she's at the club right now!
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 3:28 PM on August 25, 2007 [3 favorites]

K is expensive, dangerous

It's actually neither, but nice try.

K holes are horrendous-

They could be if you're not expecting them, I suppose. Back in the days when I fed my nose with such htings, I used to love deliberately doing enough to go into a hole, while having my headphones on playing some sick oldschool goa. God that was good.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:07 PM on August 25, 2007

amberglow, I disagree. Alien starships, aural distortion, dimensional loopholes. Fun shit in extreme moderation. Like, maybe once a decade.

It's the only addictive psychadelic, and you understand why when you try it. It can be extremely dangerous and is linked to violence due to its dissociative nature.

I can't believe they're able to pass it off as coke considering it lasts a half hour longer and well, royally fucks you up.
posted by ageispolis at 4:11 PM on August 25, 2007

what's goa?
posted by vronsky at 4:12 PM on August 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

The "danger" involved with ketamine is generally that dumb people do it in the bathtub and then drown. Or decide to go swimming and then drown. You get the picture. As far as I know, it is not linked in any way to violence and I'd be interested in a cite to that effect.

It's hard to be violent when you are lying on your back whacked out of your skull. I suppose you could accidently gently punch someone if you are making repetitive motions with your arms.

I think disassociatives are basically the definition of hell, but some people seem to like 'em. God knows why.
posted by Justinian at 4:20 PM on August 25, 2007

vronsky writes "what's goa?"

Check out Iskur's Guide to Electronic Music. Takes a while to load, but so so so worth it. For Goa, click on the trance button, and then look for it on the right. Clicking on it will play some music from a Goa artist. At the bottom of the description are a few buttons to click to hear other samples. Keep in mind that the music in Ishkur is looped, so the music seems much more repetitive than it actually is.
posted by Bugbread at 4:26 PM on August 25, 2007 [2 favorites]

Also, Synth Coke.
posted by Avenger at 4:45 PM on August 25, 2007

It can be extremely dangerous

In what universe? The only dangers I have ever seen associated with K involve idiots doing things like getting ktarded and going swimming, as mentioned above.

and is linked to violence due to its dissociative nature.

Again, in what universe? Cite, please. K fucks you up if you're doing more than the occasional bump. You're lucky if you can find your feet. it's roughly as violence-inducing as marijuana. That is to say, not at all.

what's goa?

Psychedelic trance. Not psy-trance, which tends to be harder and a lot more synthetic. It's a little more low-key, more psychedelic, and a lot more fun. Goa is to psy as progressive trance is to hard/German trance.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:49 PM on August 25, 2007

Actually, it might be more accurate to say that Goa is more like house (more organic) versus Psy (and offshoots), which is more cybernetic.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:03 PM on August 25, 2007

Once you wake up with a needle hanging out of your arm in a bus depot you'll realize that like any addictive substance, it can be extremely dangerous if not used in moderation, as noted above. Fuck, the knee jerk reaction to anything remotely critical of drug use is almost as bad as the anti-drug side of things.

And you are wrong that is "roughly as violence-inducing as marijuana. That is to say, not at all." Marijuana is not a dissociative. When your dealer is high on K and shoots a friend in the face over a girlfriend in front of a room full of a people, you'll see that it is very different from marijuana.
posted by ageispolis at 5:04 PM on August 25, 2007

ageispolis, the plural of anecdote is not data.

While there are of course some outliers, neither marijuana nor ketamine instigate or contribute to violence. That's generally reserved for stimulants such as meth, coke, etc, as well as alcohol (which is, of course, not a stimulant).

And seriously, I'm the last person to have a knee jerk reaction to anything critical of drug use. I recognize that some drugs really aren't good for anybody. And believe me, I have seen some very sad situations where K was the predominant causal factor. I used to do a lot of drugs--not so much my thing anymore--but it has never given me some rose-tinted view of what chemical ingestion can do to people's lives. What I am doing is calling you out on your bullshit. Please show citations that indicate ketamine is correlated with violence. I seriously doubt that you will be able to.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:26 PM on August 25, 2007

You're assuming a causal relationship, though, ageispolis.
posted by Justinian at 5:35 PM on August 25, 2007

I concur with dirtynumbangelboy. Drugs can be extremely dangerous. The way to deal with and communicate that danger is with truth, not with made-up bullshit myths.

Here is a hypothetical scenario of how bullshit myths may have an unintended social affect:

X is a person either not trained in or not interested in doing their own critical thinking.

X is inundated in their daily lives with bullshit myths about the dangers of drugs.

X is offered a drug by Y -- someone they think is cool, or in a situation where they want to fit in.

X says "what about ?" Y says, "nah, that's bullshit"

X tries drug. Bullshit myth does not happen. X then mentally assigns ALL stories about the dangers of that drug -- possibly of all drugs -- to the category of bullshit myths propagated by squares.

X then goes on to experience the REAL dangers of the drug they get involved in, without being properly mentally prepared to recognize and avoid them.

If you propagate bullshit myths about drugs, it's possible you may be contributing to the social cost of drugs rather than promoting avoidance. I don't know how true that is or by how much if it is true, but it is a dynamic I have noticed.
posted by lastobelus at 5:48 PM on August 25, 2007 [2 favorites]

correction:

X says "what about ?"

should read

X says "what about <bullshit myth>?"
posted by lastobelus at 5:51 PM on August 25, 2007

That's generally reserved for stimulants such as meth, coke, etc, as well as alcohol (which is, of course, not a stimulant).

...as well as dissociatives such as PCP and yes, perhaps Ketamine.

Since I left my Drug Citation Rolodex at work you'll have to take my word for it that Ketamine is probably a little more violence-inducing than marijuana (as you stated it is not).

And I never claimed to have any data, my anecdotal experience is the only basis of my claim. All I am saying is that people on disassociatives are just that - disassociated from their identity and reality. And chronic users tend to be either very dull or very volatile. So when they rail a bump, they either sit around in silence like a zombies, or show up at some club and shoot someone. Even if it's not the cause of the user's feral rage, it distances them enough from reality that incredibly poor decisions are made (or lack thereof) and people get hurt. Like alcohol, but not like pot.

And I hope we can agree on that note. I've had a number great experiences with it and generally felt pretty fantastic afterwards - like my body had been reset.
posted by ageispolis at 5:55 PM on August 25, 2007

Oh, so what you meant wasn't 'K incites violence' as a blanket statement, but 'I have seen a couple of violent incidents in which K was implicated'.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:29 PM on August 25, 2007

Ketamine may be an extremely effective anti-depressant.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 6:47 PM on August 25, 2007 [2 favorites]

Really interesting links aeschenkarnos, especially after reading ageispolis' comment above - " I've had a number great experiences with it and generally felt pretty fantastic afterwards - like my body had been reset."

I don't do drugs except the occasional doobie, but now I really want to try ketamine. damn.
posted by vronsky at 8:23 PM on August 25, 2007

Saying something is linked to violence versus "inciting" violence is different. Words are funny like that.
posted by ageispolis at 2:10 AM on August 26, 2007

Okay.

Thing is, ketamine is not actually linked to violence. Again, you have merely seen a couple of violent incidents in which K was implicated.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:12 AM on August 26, 2007

ageispolis writes "And you are wrong that is 'roughly as violence-inducing as marijuana. That is to say, not at all.' Marijuana is not a dissociative. When your dealer is high on K and shoots a friend in the face over a girlfriend in front of a room full of a people, you'll see that it is very different from marijuana."

I'm not saying that K is not violence inducing, nor that it is violence inducing, because, to be honest, I know nothing about K. That said:

"Not violence-inducing" is not the same as "completely violence-suppressant". I've seen sober people fight after drinking a Coca-Cola. That does not counter the statement "Coca-Cola is not violence inducing". Something is violence inducing if it increases the likelihood of violence, not if it fails to reduce it to zero.

So maybe K is violence inducing, and maybe it isn't, but that anecdote isn't enough to make a decision either way.

ageispolis writes "Even if it's not the cause of the user's feral rage, it distances them enough from reality that incredibly poor decisions are made (or lack thereof) and people get hurt."

I will grant that drugs make it more likely that violence be performed in really stupid ways (i.e. someone on drugs might shoot someone on a crowded dance floor full of witnesses that otherwise they'd shoot in the empty parking lot), and there may be a small net increase (for example, in situations where there is no empty parking lot, so normally the violence wouldn't happen).
posted by Bugbread at 5:09 AM on August 26, 2007

I always thought this was a ketamine story, but it turns out to be a GHB one.

Man 'pulled out' his girlfriend's teeth.

Who was that whale guy? John Lilly. Didn't he have a ketamine problem? I seem to recall he decided to take it every day for a year, because he believed it helped him communicate with extra-terrestrial beings, and he ended up barking mad.

Of course, he may well have been barking mad before the ketamine.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:49 AM on August 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

"The potential dangers of uncontrolled ketamine use include psychosis and violence, accidents and marked psychomotor and cognitive impairment."

dirtynumbangelboy: WOP WOP WOP WAHHHHHHH
posted by ageispolis at 9:40 AM on August 26, 2007

PeterMcDermott writes "I always thought this was a ketamine story, but it turns out to be a GHB one.
"
"Man 'pulled out' his girlfriend's teeth."

Actually, googling the followup on that, apparently she pulled them out herself.
posted by Bugbread at 9:41 AM on August 26, 2007

"potential danger"... what does that mean, exactly? Terrorists could potentially take out the Empire State Building, too.

Provide me with the actual data, not a throwaway sentence in an abstract.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:51 AM on August 27, 2007

No thank you. That would be ridiculous.
posted by ageispolis at 2:07 PM on August 27, 2007

It would be ridiculous to actually provide any information that supports your position?

A potential danger of swimming off the coast of Florida is being eaten by a shark. Would you therefore say that swimming is linked to being eaten by sharks? Naturally not. And if you would, you're ridiculous.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:05 AM on August 29, 2007