10. Coupe Poudre
In the early 1980s, ethnobotanist Wade Davis traveled to Haiti to find the secret behind coupe poudre—zombie powder. He interviewed Voodoo practitioners and collected samples from around the island. Analysis revealed that seven of the eight samples shared ingredients. These were cane toad poison, tree frog irritant secretions, and tetrodotoxin (puffer fish neurotoxin). Davis concluded that tetrodotoxin was the secret to coupe poudre.
Reports abound of people going into suspended comas following consumption of tetrodotoxin, which is produced in liver and ovaries of puffer fish. Voodoo doctors would administer the toxin to a victim, who would be declared dead and buried before being disinterred by the doctor and revived. The tree frog irritant causes skin abrasions, allowing the tetrodotoxin to enter the bloodstream. According to Davis's research, zombification was reserved as a punishment for those who violated the laws of Bizango societies formed by escaped slaves.
9. Brooklyn Zombie Epidemic
In 2015, Brooklyn police were called to the subway station at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway to respond to a horde of "zombies." Multiple individuals were moving mechanically in a trance-like state, moaning and groaning, with lifeless eyes. A blood and urine screen of the eight men revealed that they were under the influence of a synthetic cannabinoid 85 times more potent than marijuana.
In 2009, Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer patented AMB-FUBINACA, which is now sold under the name "AK-47 24 Karat Gold." This designer drug alters the chemical composition of plant-based THC, marijuana's primary intoxicant. AMB-FUBINACA is 50 times stronger than the first generation of synthetic cannabinoids known as "spice" or "K2." The substance is produced primarily in labs in China and is available for purchase on the dark web. One kilogram costs between $1,950 and $38,000 and can be administered over 15,625 doses. A dealer can potentially net $500,000.
8. Flakka
Flakka, or "gravel," is a highly addictive designer drug. Its technical name is alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone, or alpha-PVP. Originally synthesized in the 1960s, these foul-smelling white or pink crystals can be eaten, snorted, smoked, injected, or vaped. These "second-generation bath salts" mimic the effect of cocaine and meth at a fraction of the cost. Flakka is ten times stronger than cocaine, and its stimulating effects can last for days.
Flakka spikes body temperature, leading to kidney failure and even death. Its most terrifying side effect might be what is referred to as "excited delirium." This condition includes paranoia, hallucinations, and superhuman strength. Flakka has been tied, correctly or incorrectly, to shocking acts of violence, including two cannibal attacks in Florida, leading the press to dub flakka a zombie drug. In 2014, the DEA placed a temporary ban on alpha-PVP. Drug chemists will soon skirt the law by altering its chemical structure.
7. Zombie Jihadists
Captagon is the drug of choice for ISIS militants in Syria's civil war. Some fear it is creating an army of "zombie jihadists." This amphetamine-based substance obliterates fear, empathy, pain, and fatigue. According to proponents, it gives you energy, enhances strength, and increases alertness. In small doses, it keeps you up for 48 hours and sharpens senses. Large doses cause paranoia, violence, and a thirst for slaughter. According to some reports, the terrorists who carried out the attack in the Paris nightclub were under the influence of captagon.
Fennethylline is the drug's scientific name. There are rumors of some individuals taking up to 30 or 40 pills at a single time. Many aren't sure that the reports about the zombie-inducing nature of this "inferior speed" are accurate. They suggest the placebo effect, religious fanaticism, and media sensationalism may be more reasonable explanations and that an army of zombie jihadists is unlikely. Nevertheless, battlefield users of captagon relish its ability to eliminate concern for their lives or the lives of others.
