Designer Drug Identified As Cause Of Plano Teen's Death
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PLANO (CBS 11 NEWS) - A mother has received toxicology reports confirming what she long suspected, that synthetic drugs killed her teenage son.
Police say they're seeing a surge in the use of synthetic drugs you can buy online. The drug identified by the Collin County Medical Examiner as, 25B-NBOMe goes by the street name, "N-bomb." It's commonly referred to as "acid," and because it comes on a tiny sheet that dissolves on your tongue, some kids are getting tricked into thinking it's LSD, but it can be much worse.
Seventeen-year-old Evan Johnson's mom says she learned too late that her son was experimenting with drugs, but she never expected it from a kid like Evan.
Leslie Cherryholmes didn't want to appear on camera, but wrote in an email, "It's not just "bad" teens that take drugs. "Good" kids can and do make bad decisions and there may not be any obvious signs that a teen is using drugs. "
Eric Brown's 15-year-old son Montana died in Frisco in December, 2013 from the same drug. Reached in Los Angeles on business via Skype, Brown wants his Collin County neighbors to know, no neighborhood is safe from these designer drugs.
"The traffickers target those affluent areas. That's where the money is. That's where the kids are. It's the most profitable place for them," Brown said.
Since his son's death, Brown has advocated banning all designer drugs, and he speaks to groups of middle school students about Montana's experience.
"You don't know what your drug dealer is giving you. Sometimes your drug dealer doesn't know what he's giving you, and your stupid little friend has no idea what they're giving you, so don't do it. Think twice," Brown said.
Brown plans to be in Austin next week for a forum on synthetic drugs. He wants legislators to not only ban existing synthetic drugs but to target the raw materials to prevent future variations.