An emerging trend in recreational drug activity is the widespread use of synthetic,

psychoactive substances known as “designer drugs.” Designer drugs are defined by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse as drugs “manufactured to chemically resemble illicit drugs but can
often be purchased legally because manufacturers continually modify their chemical structures
in order to circumvent drug laws.” Some of these are already well-known, including bath salts
and spice. One class of psychoactive compounds that falls into this category is the
benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepines were originally branded under Valium, and were
characterized by their sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic effects. The recreational potential for
these drugs is just being realized by users, and manufacturers are pushing these drugs out of
their pipelines through a legally questionable process; thus, there is insufficient data to draw
conclusions from official results. However, researchers turned to online drug discussion forums
to collect data regarding the uses and effects of flubromazolam, a common designer drug. Most
users experienced effects that shared a few similar themes: 1) most users saw that the onset
period varied between 10 minutes and several hours. The duration of the medication was up to
several days and provided users with feelings of relaxation and anxiolytic effects; 2) users
typically had feelings of anxiety and manic episodes prior to taking the drug. Some users
advertised that the drug even created paradoxical effects that increased their daily
productivity; 3) the withdrawal effects of the drug were described as confusion, inability to
walk or talk, sleep paralysis, and addiction potential. Many users were faced with police and
psychiatric interactions while under the influence of the drug.

One of the core mechanisms behind Huxley’s dystopia is a substance called “soma,”
which induces feelings of pleasure and happiness in the user. In ancient Hinduism, soma was an
intoxicating drink prepared from a plant that was believed to be the drink of the gods. Similar
to soma, flubromazolam is publicly obtainable and can be shared among friends to establish a
greater sense of euphoria. in other words, the use of designer drugs as an escape from reality
can potentially spread to almost everyone in a society. Designer drugs can be made without
adverse side effects as well. Most side effects are tied to the medication’s anxiolytic effect and
sedation, both of which are related to the relaxing purposes of the drug. It is easy to see how
the psychoactive effects of soma can establish societal submissiveness under a leader or
governing body. Like marijuana and narcotic substances, designer drugs can be addictive. For
this reason, governments can potentially (though not realistically) distribute designer drugs for
their constituents’ pleasure and keep them addicted to the substances, ultimately creating the
same submissiveness as was warned to us in Brave New World. The novel tells of a society that
makes productivity a priority, and designer drugs allude to this with increased levels of mental
clarity, relaxation, and productivity.