‘Devil's Drug': Flakka Epidemic Afflicts South Florida

An emergency room doctor calls it as "five-dollar insanity." A rehab director says it's the "devil's drug."

On the street, it's known as flakka — a synthetic crystal imported from China that is wreaking havoc in South Florida and threatening to spread its misery and profits across the country, NBC News reports.

In the 14 months since the epidemic began in Broward County, 60 people have died. Hospitals are getting dozens of patients a day. And some nights, half the calls to police are flakka-related emergencies.

"If we don't get it right here, it's going to explode," United Way chief executive Kathleen Cannon said.

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