Last updated : October 7, 2024
No, they’re not vampires. They’re just a group of incredibly stupid people who are using blood as a delivery mechanism for a variety of illicit substances such as morphine, methamphetamine and codeine. The funny, or rather sad thing is, blood is a terrible medium to transport drugs. The health risks that blood injection carry are incredibly serious and can take the life of the person receiving the injection.
What happened in the Keystone State?
The story began last year in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, when law enforcement officials arrested a 33-year-old man who was in possession of a vial of blood containing 13 different types of illegal drugs. Upon questioning, the man claimed that the liquid in the vial is called BLOOD (yes, in caps), and it contains, blood (naturally) and fentanyl, which according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a morphine-like substance that is up 100 times stronger. BLOOD is apparently used as a stimulant and delivered via injections by cool (but apparently not very bright) kids.
In a subsequent analysis conducted by Dr. Laura Labay, Director of Toxicological Services at Willow Grove, PA-based NMS Labs, BLOOD was found to contain an additional 11 other illicit substances, namely:
- 6-monoacetylmorphine: One of the three metabolized byproducts of heroin
- Ethanol: The active ingredient in in alcoholic drinks
- Alprazolam: A benzodiazepine that’s used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders.
- Amphetamine: A very useful central nervous system stimulant that is frequently misused for recreational purposes
- Codeine: A pain management opiate
- Delta-9 THC: A psychotropic cannabinoid and principal psychoactive element of cannabis
- Ephedrine: A stimulant used to manage low blood pressure and breathing-related issues
- MDA: An amphetamine-derived stimulant that is used recreationally for its psychedelic properties
- Morphine: An opiate used for pain management
- Norpseudoephedrine: Also known as cathine, it is a psychoactive stimulant
- Pseudoephedrine: A stimulant frequently used to increase focus and awareness
Why is getting a high from BLOOD stupid?
For one thing, blood breaks down many types of chemicals, which means, the expected ‘high’ from injections are gradually diminishes over time. For another, the mixture of the dozen elements of varying dosages will also likely create unexpected chemical reactions, rendering the potency of the solution even lower. It’s like creating a cocktail using a 30-year-old scotch, mayonnaise and soy sauce drenched in saw dust – it tastes bad, and you are more likely to fall ill than get a buzz.
More importantly though, the syringe used to disseminate the content of the vial to users will be reused repeatedly. Since a small amount of blood backtracks into syringes during injections, this creates the possibility of pathogens and viruses such as HIV and HBV (hepatitis) being spread between users. This probably explains the presence of metabolized heroin (6-monoacetylmorphine) in the vial – one of the earlier users may have been consuming heroin. While this is not as bad as the practice of drug users injecting themselves with the blood of addicts (which became a serious issue in Tanzania several years ago), the effect could still be equally catastrophic if earlier users were suffering from AIDS or hepatitis (B or C).
Also, the human body will reject the transfusion of a different type of blood into the bloodstream. So hypothetically, if someone has a B negative blood type and injects an O positive blood into his/her system, he/she can look forward to reactions ranging from nausea and chills to fever and dizziness while his/her body breaks apart the foreign blood. Sounds like fun, right?
Why would anyone even consider using blood as a medium?
Perhaps the exotic delivery method (especially for vampire-wannabe goths) compensates for the potential of contracting a fatal disease. For some, the thrill factor may outweigh rational thinking and a person is then willing to risk the potential deadly consequences that blood injection carries. This thrill factor may sound like a ridiculous reason to some but just think of all of the downright crazy things that circulate daily on social media. Every day people take life threatening risks and in many cases the reason is simply to feel a thrill. Now add into the mix that a drug addiction is likely present in the person receiving the blood injection and that the person may be addicted to more than one drug. Remember the list of drugs found in the vial of blood described earlier in this article. These drugs are seriously addictive and they are potentially life threatening even when administered without blood.
