by: Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk Updated: Aug 16, 2016 - 11:16 AM 
 
 0 
 
 When flakka makes the news, it's never a good thing. In fact, it can be downright bizarre - including this case in Florida, where a man apparently using the drug offered a ride to the woman whose car he stole 
 
 So what is flakka, and why is law enforcement so concerned about it? Here’s a quick look at the drug and what it does to a person. 
 
 What is flakka? 
 
 Alpha-PVP, or flakka, is a synthetic stimulant that is, chemically, similar to amphetamines. It has also been compared to a combination of methamphetamines and crack cocaine. It is similar to “bath salts,” another so-called designer drug that gives users extreme highs. (This is not the bath salts you may be putting in your tub) 
 
 What does it look like? 
 
 Flakka is made up of granules that are either white or pink – thus it also goes by the name “gravel.” It has a foul smell. 
 
 What is it made of? 
 
 Alpha-PVP is made in China and contains synthetic chemicals that block the molecules that keep dopamine and serotonin – neurotransmitters which help determine mood - balanced in the brain. Flakka allows those neurotransmitters to flood the brain producing a high. 
 
 What does it do to you? 
 
 Called “$5 insanity” by some, alpha-PVP causes a condition known as “excited delirium.” This produces paranoia, hallucinations, hyperstimulation and, in the extreme, violent actions. It has also been connected to several suicides. 
 
 Medically, the drug can lead to a heart attack, kidney damage or kidney failure. It can quickly raise body temperature to dangerous levels. 
 
 How do you take it? 
 
 Alpha-PVP can be snorted, injected, eaten, or vaporized in an e-cigarette. 
 
 What are the possible long-term effects? 
 
 The high from flakka can last several hours. The paranoia can last several months. Damage to the kidneys can result in the need for dialysis for the remainder of a user’s life. 
 
 How prevalent is it? 
 
 According to a story from Forbes , as of last year, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has seen a nearly 780 percent increase in the number of reported cases since 2012. 
 
 Is it legal? 
 
 Alpha-PVP is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is illegal to import, possess or sell. It is banned in Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey, Norway and the Czech Republic. 
 
 What have people done while on the drug? 
 
 There have been several reports of people doing particularly odd things while under the influence of flakka. In South Florida alone, there have been reports of a man standing naked on a building, holding a gun and threatening others; a man with what police called “superhuman strength" kicking in the hurricane doors at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and a man who repeatedly said he was God then attacked police after twice being Tased. 
 
 © 2017 Cox Media Group. ||||| So the word on everyone’s minds Aug. 16 is ‘flakka,’ the dangerous drug that caused a Florida college student to murder two strangers and chew off one victim’s face. Police believe Austin Harrouff was under the influence of the synthetic stimulant during the killings, so let’s learn five things to know about flakka. 
 
 1.Flakka has many adverse side affects. 
 
 The designer drug drives individuals into a state of excited delirium, which can involve hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations. The worst and most extreme side effects are severe aggressiveness and even cannibalism, as in several murders where the user was under the influence of the drug, they began eating the flesh of their victims. In Austin’s case, he was chewing on the face of John Stevens, 59, when the murders were discovered. 
 
 2. Flakka causes those who take it to become abnormally strong. 
 
 The synthetic stimulant causes those who take it to gain great levels of physical strength. In Austin’s case, four police officers tried to pull him off one of his victims but were unable to. They eventually had to use a stun gun and a K-9 unit to end his deadly spree. 
 
 3. Flakka has several other nicknames throughout the country. 
 
 The drug is also known as “gravel” because it appears to resemble pink and white stones used in fish tanks. For that same reason it’s also called “bath salts” because the little nuggets of the drug look like soothing salt bits that people use in their baths. 
 
 4. Flakka can be ingested in many different ways. 
 
 The drug is usually dissolved in the mouth or snorted. Other ways people take is lacing it in marijuana joints or smoking it in e-cigarette devices. 
 
 5. Flakka is cheap! 
 
 The drug is inexpensive the same way crack cocaine is. A dose can be purchased for around $3-5 and first became popular in south Florida’s homeless community in 2014 before use began spreading wider across the U.S. 
 
 HollywoodLifers, had you heard of flakka before the Florida cannibal murders?
– The disturbing murder of a couple in Florida is just the latest case linked to flakka to make headlines recently—but what is flakka? Also known as Alpha-PVP or "gravel," the drug looks like tiny white or pink stones—like those you might find at the bottom of a fish tank, reports Hollywood Life—and is similar to amphetamines and bath salts, running $3 to $5 per dose. If snorted, injected, eaten, or smoked, the drug can boost body temperature and cause a heart attack, kidney damage, or kidney failure. But that's nothing compared to what it does to your brain. The drug throws dopamine and serotonin—the neurotransmitters that regulate mood—out of whack, leading to hallucinations, hyperstimulation, aggression, and paranoia. The paranoia can last for months, though the high from flakka lasts only a few hours, reports Fox 25. Cannibalism and increased strength have also been reported in several cases; police say Austin Harrouff was found chewing on the face of one of his alleged murder victims on Monday, and it took a stun gun, a police dog, and several officers to detain him. Click for the more on the drug here.