Top 10 Dangerous Street Drugs

Top 10 Dangerous Street Drugs

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Watch out for these; your health teacher can’t warn you enough. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Dangerous Street Drugs.   For this list, we’ll be focusing on drugs that have built a reputation for being hazardous to your health when they are used and abused recreationally. So while some of the drugsmay have been or still are used for treatment and/or medical purposes, they are now more notorious for their addictive and potentially lethal properties as a result of their popularity on the streets. However, we’re excluding tobacco and alcohol because they aren’t street drugs and can be purchased legally in stores.

“It gives users what feels like the strength and fury of the Incredible Hulk.” That’s how CNN writer Carina Storrs describes the effects of this synthetic drug. Flakka, or gravel, a psychostimulant with an ingredient linked to bath salts, shares similar effects with cocaine. Known as alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, it can be smoked, snorted, or injected, giving users several avenues for abuse, and typically induces a state of “excited delirium” and violent behavior. Perhaps more worryingly though is that it is very easy to overdose on, with death possibly resulting from extreme spikes in body temperature or heart attacks. This synthetic drug is usually made overseas and shipped to the U.S., and it’s reportedly dirt cheap, about $5 a hit, which makes it easily accessible. 


MDMA, the original form of ecstasy that became popular in the ’70s-‘80s, has now been replaced by several forms of E. While you’ve probably heard that some of them – such as Molly and Mandy - aren’t too risky, experts would advise you to listen up. The danger factor lies in the fact that the pills can be mixed with anything ranging from other illegal drugs to mystery chemicals. Regardless of the form that you take it in, ecstasy affects the brain by activating neurotransmitters to release large amounts of serotonin and, to a lesser extent, dopamine, which creates a euphoric feeling. That sounds fine and dandy, but tampering with the brain’s neurotransmitters can have harmful effects. Scrambled signals can cause hyperthermia, dehydration, and heat stroke, not to mention permanent damage to the brain.

#8: PCP [aka Phencyclidine and Angel Dust]

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Originally used an anesthetic drug in the 1950s, PCP didn’t spend much time on the market as a result of the behavioral effects it causes and the introduction of the medication that is our next entry – but more on that one later. Also known as angel dust, this hallucination-producing drug comes in liquid and powder forms, but can be also be smoked after being sprayed onto plant leaves. High doses of PCP, which are often taken unintentionally because of their illegal and uncontrolled production, can lead to convulsions, rage, paranoia, and more. It’s addictive too, of course, which makes it all the more hazardous for those who abuse it. 


It causes weakness, confusion, out of body experiences, and even amnesia. Though it’s medically used as an anesthetic, ketamine, also known as Special K and Kit Kat, has also been used recreationally and as a date rape drug. Among a collection of these so called “club drugs,” Ketamine is primarily dangerous for how it renders its typically unknowing users completely defenseless. Those under its influence stumble, fall, forget, and find themselves completely unaware of their faculties. It comes in liquid, pill, or powder form, and can be injected, smoked, or simply consumed. It’s also odorless and tasteless. All this means that Ketamine is very easy to slip someone without him or her knowing.

Like Ketamine, Scopolamine is tasteless, odorless, and has medical uses – but is also known for being slipped to the unsuspecting.  Its effects, however, differ, as victims don’t necessarily lose their faculties; they simply become complacent, all-following zombies. Commonly produced in Colombia where it’s derived from the Borrachero tree, Scopolamine is often slipped into drinks or onto food – though it’s also been blown into victims’ faces.  Once under the influence of the drug nicknamed “Devil’s Breath,” zombie-like effects can last up to three days. During this time, victims are abused to no end, and regularly awaken to find they’ve been robbed of all their money, among other horrors. Of course, the drug also induces amnesia effects, so victims remember nothing about their abusers, and can do little to repair the damage. 


Though it may not seem as scary as Devil’s Breath, cocaine still ranks as incredibly dangerous. One of the strongest stimulants out there, cocaine is most often snorted, though it can be injected, inhaled or smoked as well. We’re sure you can form a distinct image of Tony Montana’s face covered in powder, but be warned: movies don’t seem to do the dangers of cocaine justice. Even for those who don’t overdose on it, cocaine rapidly increases heart rate and blood pressure, which can cause long-term heart problems. For those that do overdose, immediate outcomes are grim, as it typically results in stroke and/or convulsions. Ultimately, overdoses typically prove fatal. And of course, we haven’t mentioned the physical damages it can cause to the nose and brain for those that don’t suffer a deadly fate. 


Officially known as Desomorphine, Krokodil is an opioid derived from morphine. For recreational use, it is usually synthesized as a mix of codeine, iodine, red phosphorous, and whatever else the street manufacturer feels like throwing in. This is part of the danger, as users never know what they’re getting. Still, they don’t seem to mind because it produces similar effects to heroin, only at a fraction of the cost. Krokodil is incredibly addicting, capable of hooking users after just one dose, but is also hard to withdraw from, with its painful symptoms lasting up to a month. Krokodil earned its street name either for the scaly flesh mutations it can cause on injection sites or from its precursor’s chemical name. It ruptures blood vessels, causes sores, and can even cause flesh to fall off, leaving bones uncovered. Beware. 


A free base form of standard cocaine, crack cocaine is far more addictive than coke and is smoked rather than snorted. Because it is smoked, crack cocaine users are easily identifiable, as the hot pipes cause “crack lips”.  And when it is made with ammonia, the toxic fumes from the smoke rot a user’s skin and teeth. Oh, and ammonia isn’t too great for the lungs either. Considered by some to be the most addictive drug on the planet, crack cocaine causes short and intense highs, but also a slew of other problems in return. Users suffer from spiked body temperatures and run a significantly increased chance of heart attack. Crack cocaine also causes irreparable damage to the lungs and liver – pretty much every vital organ in the body. 


Because it’s chemically similar to amphetamine, it’s also sometimes called speed. However, the former is sold by prescription at pharmacies to treat to certain disorders (though it’s also produced on the street for recreational use). By contrast, the addictive methamphetamine is very rarely used medically.  Along with rapidly increasing one’s heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, it can permanently damage the brain. When taken in the form of crystal meth, or ice, the clear crystal chunks can be smoked, swallowed or snorted. The party drug can also be injected, with needle sharing placing users at extreme risk of disease. Meanwhile, overdose can result in heart issues, bleeding in the brain and kidney problems, and is often fatal. 
 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable, or should we say, dishonorable mentions.   Whoonga [aka Nyaope and Wunga] 
 Bath Salts 


There is no denying it; heroin, smack, horse, big H, whatever you want to call it, this opioid painkiller is instantly addictive. Users can be hooked after just one dose, and it’s estimated that one in four users become physically dependent. Heroin can be snorted, smoked, or injected and causes an almost instant rush of euphoria, but it is very harmful to the body. It’s incredibly easy to overdose on – arguably more so than any other drug – and that’s where heroin’s largest risks lie. It’s hard to tell when a person is overdosing, but when he or she does, the body completely shuts down, reducing breathing so much that it almost stops entirely, and running a high risk of slipping into a coma. Death… should be expected. 
 Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the most dangerous drug? For more informative top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.