Did You Know People Are Dealing Drugs on Instagram?

Would You Buy Drugs From Instagram?

ByABC News
September 24, 2013, 2:16 PM
Instagram user HydroNeeds
Instagram user HydroNeeds
Instagram/HydroNeeds

Sept. 26, 2013 — -- Instagram is turning into a place where you can see anything you want. Now you can BUY things as well... or at least that’s what some enterprising drug dealers would have you believe.

Going mad on Molly. Being ecstatic with Ecstasy. Looking scary with methamphetamine. The world of drugs is varied, and those who partake come from all backgrounds. Many of them are social media users. Instagram is the place to go for atmospheric- Amaro filtered sunset shots and Lo-Fi kitten captures.

Plus hardcore drug use. Both taking and selling.

You’ve probably heard about Molly, Methadone and mephedrone, but where do you stand on 2CI or 2C-B? These drugs are relatively new to the U.S. club scene and now apparently are considered Instagram-worthy.

“If you like it then you should a put a filter on it.”

The hashtags #2CI and #2cB bring up numerous illicit substances, all filtered appropriately pretty. Leaving aside the psychology of why you’d choose to broadcast your drug use on Instagram, or the safety of advertising it, people seem to be using Instagram as an illicit drug-dealing marketplace, akin to Silk Road (the dark side of the web, not the famous trade route).

Today, 562 photos come up for 2CI on an Instagram search using Webstagram. The search for 2C-B creates 1,268 results. Other terms used for the drug are nexus, bromo and 2C-E. To be clear, not ALL pictures are drug related, and 2C-B and 2C-E do differ from each other in some ways. However, even with this taken into consideration, a large number of images are drug related, either showcasing people out consuming or displaying their purchases.

Or selling drugs.

User HydroNeeds not only is showing supposed images of the 2CI drug but also offering to sell it. His image is captioned, ”I have <2OZ of #Mephedrone that I just got in. Haven't seen this stuff since 09'. Very good quality. Serious inquires Kik me. If you don't know what "mephedrone, mcat, bubbles, or meow meow" is, then don't bother. This stuff is intense”

( Kik is an app-based private messaging service- like What’s App - that allows private messages to be shared.)

When contacted about purchasing items, payment was suggested through MoneyPak- an untraceable prepaid credit card. Delivery would have been carried out through FedEx.

You might think that this drug might be far outside your social circle, but its use is growing, and and you might be surprised at how prevalent it’s getting.

But just what are 2CB and 2CI, and what do they do to your body?

2C-B (or 2CB) is an ecstasy derivative drug, created in 1974 by biochemist Alexander Shulgin (always known as the creator of MDMA) for psychological research. It then gained popularity in Europe in the early eighties as a party drug. What 2CB and its derivatives does is combine the “highs” of ecstasy with a psychedelic experience, a combination upper/hallucinogenic, if you will. The name reflects the chemical compounds, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine. For short, 2C-B. This family of drugs also includes 2CI, 2CT-7 and 2CE.

So what are the risks of 2CB and 2CI drugs?

The problem here is that no one really knows. Due to the nature of the popularity of other more accessible mainstream drugs, research into 2CI and 2C-B is limited. Some of the issues that arise are the same as Ecstasy and LSD users might experience. This includes paranoid thoughts and behavior, shortness of breath, panic attacks, hyper sensitivity and users are at risk when mixing with alcohol. Obviously, there are some plus points and these include heightened sexual arousal, stimulation and out-of-body experiences.