What is the 'zombie drug'?

Zombie drug is one of the popular terms used by the media to sensationalize some narcotics. When talking about psychoactive substances, we always take care to avoid colloquial and conventional terms, even such as the well-known “stimulants,” “drugs,” “medicines,” “legal highs.” It is more accurate to refer to the pharmacological division of substances, that is, primarily depressants, stimulants and psychedelics. Interestingly, all of these groups contain substances referred to as “zombie drugs.”

At the outset, we would like to point out that a sensationalist approach makes it difficult to understand the problem. Drug use is a symptom of social problems rather than merely a sign of personal failure. One reaches for psychoactive substances to satisfy a specific need. If such a need is to forget one’s own existence, then it is primarily a testament to the social system in which one lives.

Stimulants

In 2012, U.S. media described a horrific attack by a Florida resident who tried to bite off a homeless man’s face. Journalists were quick to conclude: it must be “flakka,” or a-PVP, one of the most potent stimulant synthetic cathinones. However, this substance was not detected in the toxicology test of the perpetrator of the aforementioned incident. Only traces of marijuana, which is not known for causing aggression, were found. Instead of the murderous drug, mental disorders were to blame.

Psychedelics & cannabinoids

Psychedelics, i.e. drugs that primarily potentiate stimuli and sensations, have also lived to be called “zombies.” In particular, we’re talking about synthetic cannabinoids, that is, substances similarly to the main active ingredient in cannabis THC that affect cannabinoid receptors, but drastically more potent (e.g. MDMB-CHMINACA). They carry a risk of death and the effects are so strong that they can result in an attack of psychosis on the one hand and falling asleep standing up on the other. They have even been detected in Dutch coffeeshops, so you can certainly expect them on the streets as well.

Depresants

With the ongoing opioid epidemic in the US, the phrase “zombie drug” has also begun to be used to describe people under the influence of opioid depressants such as fentanyl, or more recently nitazenes. People under the influence of powerful painkillers and their derivatives, including heroin or xylazine (“tranq”), often act as if they are barely conscious. This is because they try to take the maximum dose to feel chemical bliss but not enough to lose consciousness.

In this article, we will focus on fentanyl, which is currently referred to in Poland as the “zombie drug.”