--- description: More incidents of naked rage and paranoia are being linked to the abuse of flakka, a dangerous new designer drug. title: Emerging Drug Flakka Causing More Naked Rage and Paranoia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75fd114fd9d2eb04/6987865f06f2c108bd334b74/smoke-drug-drugs.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Drugs](/tag/drugs/) ## Drugs Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Emerging Drug Flakka Causing More Naked Rage and Paranoia Incidents  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 30, 2015 12:44 PM CUT  Shadow of man smoking crack cast on wall, side view Shadow of man smoking crack cast on wall, side viewGetty Images  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 30, 2015 12:44 PM CUT Flakka, a new designer drug popular in Florida, is continuing to generate bizarre incidents of naked rage and paranoia among users — but officials say it’s no laughing matter. The synthetic drug has spawned a number of tales including how one Florida man believed he was Thor, and ran naked through a neighborhood and then tried to have sex with a tree, the Associated Press [reported](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US%5FFLAKKAS%5FEMERGENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT "undefined") Thursday. Another flakka user ran nude down a busy city street, convinced he was being chased by a pack of German shepherds. Flakka, which is similar to bath salts and usually smoked via electronic cigarettes, causes the naked incidents because it causes a [spike](http://healthfinder.gov/News/Article.aspx?id=698460 "undefined") in body temperature of up to 106 degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Like amphetamines, [flakka](http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/emerging-trends "undefined") users seek the high of the drug’s stimulation but may also become prone to violent outbursts, paranoia and hallucinations. “I’ve had one addict describe it as $5 insanity,” Don Maines, a drug treatment counselor in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told AP. “They still want to try it because it’s so cheap.” Flakka has [spread](http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/emerging-trends "undefined") to other states besides Florida, where most incidents have been reported, including Ohio, Texas and Tennessee, according to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse. **Read next:** [_See Which State Has the Highest Daily Use of Mood-Altering Drugs_](http://time.com/3767539/mood-altering-drugs-study/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") \[[AP](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US%5FFLAKKAS%5FEMERGENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3841530/flakka-drug-naked/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3841530/flakka-drug-naked/"},"headline":"Emerging Drug Flakka Causing More Naked Rage and Paranoia Incidents","datePublished":"2015-04-30T12:44:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:49:02.288Z","description":"The new drug causes body temperature to spike dangerously","url":"https://time.com/3841530/flakka-drug-naked/","keywords":["Drugs","States","Florida"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75fd114fd9d2eb04/6987865f06f2c108bd334b74/smoke-drug-drugs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75fd114fd9d2eb04/6987865f06f2c108bd334b74/smoke-drug-drugs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Shadow of man smoking crack cast on wall, side view","caption":"Shadow of man smoking crack cast on wall, side view","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/drugs/","name":"Drugs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3841530/flakka-drug-naked/","name":"Emerging Drug Flakka Causing More Naked Rage and Paranoia Incidents"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Inside the World of Medical Marijuana for Kids","description":"The story of a family's illegal cross-country drive to transport marijuana oil for their epileptic 3-year-old daughter. 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