The Cannabilism of Rudy Eugene. Part I
This is one of those stories that has been in and out of my brain for over a decade. There is no way I can do it justice, but hopefully writing about it will help my brain stop circling back to the damn thing. This is a story about drugs, cannibalism, racism, hysteria, religion, voodoo, ignorance, and politics. This is a story about how we devoured a man who ate a man’s face and what we can learn about our fear-based approaches to drug use.
The New Craze
Between 2010 and 2012, news stories circulated about a new drug causing violence, paranoia, hallucinations, and superhuman strength. The synthetic drug was sold under the name bath salts and it was shrouded in mystery as it entered the market. What set this drug apart was its legality; it could be purchased openly in gas stations and head shops. Media reporting was abundant, as outlets competed in a morbid game of fear-based one-upsmanship.
Synthetic cathinone, legally sold under the name “bath salts” in the early 2010s
Stories based mostly out of the Southeastern US circulated about the dangers and chaos that bath salts were causing local communities. In Panama City Florida the media reported about a man who was unable to be restrained by several police officers after he tore a radar unit out of the police car with his teeth after consuming bath salts. Another story was reported about a woman attacking her mother with a machete after using bath salts. The underlying message: Be afraid, this is not something we have dealt with before. Chaos and cannabilism followed close behind and I was on the front lines for all of it.
The Front Lines
During the bath salts craze, I was working in a residential addiction treatment center while also attending graduate school. Through these years, many of our client’s reported different versions of the same story. “Things were going ok, then the great recession came, I lost my job, I lost my house, and said fuck it; might as well get drunk”. We moved slowly forward in an underfunded treatment center helping people as best we could as they navigated these life hurdles. A rewarding, and sometimes sad business, but, for the most part, business as usual.
As the bath salts news volume increased, it spread to our small corner of the drug treatment world. I remember the leaders of the agency informing us that we needed to be prepared for issues we had not dealt with as this new drug would be an ongoing challenge.
“Be ready” the medical director at our agency stated. The news stories ramped up, the politicians ramped up, and now here we go. Bring on the action in our small center. I remember being anxious and slightly excited as anything new tends to fascinate me. However, as a new, and highly insecure counselor, would I be able to handle the severe issues headed our way?
The chaos was amplified by my own ignorance. Despite having a graduate degree and some weird letters behind my name, I honestly had no clue what bath salts were. The last thing I, or likely any helping professionals, want to do after a long day of crises and chaos is sit down and read a boring 20 page peer-reviewed academic article that no-one but the author can understand. This gap between science and practice illustrates why our drug approaches are still in the dark ages, and how drug myths spread.
My colleagues and I were poised for action at the forefront of the impending bath salts epidemic. We waited. And we continued to wait. A handful of clients cautiously reported dabbling in experimental use of bath salts, but the anticipated influx of highly volatile and delusional bath salts users remained absent. Yet, the stories persisted.
Crescendo of Cannibalism
As the horrors of the bath salts epidemic unfolded, our collective anxiety reached a crescendo. In May of 2012, the nation was rocked by a shocking news story: A Miami man had gruesomely attacked and devoured the face of a homeless man in broad daylight, all while being captured on camera with horrified onlookers. Police were forced to fatally shoot the assailant, attributing the atrocity to the influence of bath salts.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, where we’ll explore more about this bizarre saga, its consequences, and the disturbing truths that have emerged beneath its surface. The tale of the bath salts craze is morbid, but the darkest secrets are once again in plain sight.
