- December 15, 2025
Flagler official: ‘It’s sweeping the nation and is a major issue in schools and communities.’
A student under the influence of a synthetic mind-altering substance recently jumped out of a moving ambulance in St. Johns County, and parents need to be aware of the developing trend of synthetic drugs in Flagler County, as well, according to Student Services Director Katrina Townsend.
“We have had a few issues of this,” Townsend said. The synthetic drugs, she said, “come in a lot of shapes and sizes. One came from a convenience store in a tin with a smiley face, and it was called Mr. Happy.”
She added: “What I would tell parents is if you find your kids with anything that you don’t know what it is, find out.”
The drugs have been commonly sold as if they were harmless incense or bath salts on the counters of convenience stores, according to Cpl. Steve Brandt, of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. The state took action March 23, when Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill deeming the substances to be Schedule I drugs, meaning anyone caught buying, selling, distributing or in possession of the substances can be arrested and charged with a felony.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement provided a report to the Sheriff’s Office with details about the substances.
“Synthetic drugs are among the latest in a series of synthetic substances that, when used improperly, offer alternatives to traditional illegal drugs,” the report states. “These powerful stimulant drugs, suspected as being produced as substitutes for ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines and marijuana, have been designed to avoid legal prosecution, and are commonly available on the Internet, specialty ‘smoke’ shops and convenience stores.”
The law identifies dozens of chemicals found in the synthetic drugs. Brandt said Flagler County has no field test kit for the drugs, so samples have to be sent to state labs. If a substance is laced with any of the chemicals, a warrant can be issued for the suspect who was in possession of the substance.
The chemicals, which have complex names like N-Acetyl-N-Methyl-3,4-Methylenedioxycathinone, can be a moving target, though, according to Brandt. A previous law identified many chemicals as illegal, too, but the manufacturers made small changes to the compounds and were able to dodge the law as a result. The new law seeks to remedy that problem by making the list more comprehensive.
Cases involving synthetic drugs have popped up across the United States. Brandt said users are seeking a high, but it comes with “some side effects that are not nice: headaches, agitation, vomiting, hallucinations.”
According to Communications Manager Lindsay Rew, Florida Hospital Flagler has treated one patient in the emergency department for side effects of synthetic drugs in the past four months. The patient “had no major lasting effects,” she said.
Regardless, Townsend said, school administrators are paying attention to reports of the synthetic drugs appearing on campuses in Flagler County.
“We’re quite concerned about it,” she said. “The kids should not carry it or purchase it, and the parents need to be very aware of what their kids have.”
She added: “It’s against our code of conduct to have any kind of drug or mood- or mind-altering substance at all. So it was a disciplinary issue before it was a legal issue by the state. … I hope we can work as a team with the parents to keep Flagler safe with this. It’s sweeping the nation and is a major issue in schools and communities.”
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