Homeless in Vancouver: Snorting Splenda—don’t try this at home, kids!

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      Kids do the damnedest things.

      Yesterday while I was in one of my favourite South Granville restaurants (which would prefer to go unnamed), I noticed a grubby, chubby kid in a hoody and shorts standing outside with his back to the main entrance. It so happened that while I was looking at him, he emptied the white powdered contents of two yellow packets into the palm of one of his hands; the hand and his face met halfway and he appeared to energetically snort up whatever powder he was holding.

      The lad stood still for a bit before turning and coming into the restaurant. He brushed by a woman on his way to the counter where he ordered food.

      I like a little gateway drug in my coffee

      It developed that the bumped-into woman had witnessed the druggie move outside and was actually too terrified to stay in the same restaurant with the kid, who, by this time, was stolidly eating at a table in a back corner.

      The woman left. Then shortly afterwards the kid left. He looked and walked like he was sedated.

      After a few unsuccessfully tries at coaxing a cigarette out of the passing crowd, he joined the flow and vanished.

      I went outside and looked at the ripped-up remains of the yellow packets he dropped on the sidewalk.

      Nothing but empty packets of Splenda-branded sucralose, an artificial sweetener.

      That made no sense to me at all. Who snorts Splenda?

      You’re kidding me, right?

      Well dip me in corn syrup and call me sweetie! Turns out massively ingesting or snorting artificial sweetners—Splenda or Crystal Light for sucralose, Sweet ‘N Low for saccharine, and NutraSweet or Equal for aspartame—has been a “thing” for at least five years.

      There’s nothing psychoactive about it beyond the possible sugar high.

      Saccharin, the centenarian of artificial sweeteners, can be 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. Sucralose, which is sucrose on steroids, can be 600 times sweeter than sugar. And aspartame is at most 200 times sweeter.

      According to the Sugar Association, the newest artificial sweetener, neotame, is approximately 8,000 times sweeter than sugar but not yet available as a food ingredient you can snort.

      Internet references to snorting Splenda go back to about 2009. Only a few take it seriously.

      A Dr. Janet Hull, who warns against the dangers of aspartame in general, writes of kids snorting the sweetener for the promise of a free hyperactive thrill.

      But generally the Internet uses “snorting Splenda” as a code, like “hillbilly”, for being immature, reckless and/or stupid—childish if you will.

      Thanks to the Internet, it will be “thing” for children to try forever; right up there with the “cinnamon challenge”.

      But hopefully not that many kids because most artificial sweeteners are anything but kids stuff.

      Aspartame is absolutely unavoidable in the Western diet. It’s one of the most studied, most used, and most controversial food additives ever. The consensus is that it is “safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure”.

      Sucralose, to put it crudely, is sucrose doped with chlorine. A selling point of sucralose has been the fact that the body can hardly absorb it. However, some is absorbed and thus chlorine, which is a very dangerous and reactive chemical. Regulators certainly never imagined a child eating it by the spoonful or snorting it right into their bloodstream.

      And after all that, no one on the Internet will even say categorically whether snorting Splenda actually gives you a giant sugar rush. However, many sources do agree about the nosebleed. 

      Stanley Q. Woodvine is a homeless resident of Vancouver who has worked in the past as an illustrator, graphic designer, and writer. Follow Stanley on Twitter at @sqwabb.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      Sweetener Council

      Dec 1, 2014 at 8:59am

      You're right! Aspartame is among the most studied and reviewed ingredient and has been extensively tested, proven safe, and approved by all major regulatory agencies around the world with leading health organizations including, but not limited to, American Diabetes Association, the National Cancer Institute, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supporting its use.

      The reason why aspartame is beneficial for use is because it is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Therefore a very small amount is required to achieve the same level of sweetness without the added calories or change in blood sugar levels, making it ideal for controlling weight and blood sugar.

      An important fact about aspartame is that its three components (aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol) are naturally found in similar or greater quantities in common foods that are regularly consumed as part of a balanced diet. This includes dairy product, meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. In addition, both aspartic acid and phenylalanine are amino acids (protein) needed for growth and body maintenance. Therefore, whether these three components come from aspartame or from a naturally occurring food source they are broken down and used in the body in the same way.

      As a result of this and the vast body of evidence supporting the safety of aspartame, consumers should have every confidence in enjoying aspartame containing products without fear of adverse health effects.

      We hope this information has helped to clear some misunderstanding tied to aspartame safety.

      Aspartame Free

      Dec 2, 2014 at 9:04pm

      According to Lendon Smith, M.D. there is an enormous population suffering from side effects associated with aspartame, yet have no idea why drugs, supplements and herbs don’t relieve their symptoms. Then, there are users who don’t ‘appear’ to suffer immediate reactions at all. Even these individuals are susceptible to the long-term damage caused by excitatory amino acids, phenylalanine, methanol, and DKP.

      Adverse reactions and side effects of aspartame include:

      Eye
      blindness in one or both eyes
      decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
      pain in one or both eyes
      decreased tears
      trouble with contact lenses
      bulging eyes

      Ear
      tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
      severe intolerance of noise
      marked hearing impairment

      Neurologic
      epileptic seizures
      headaches, migraines and (some severe)
      dizziness, unsteadiness, both
      confusion, memory loss, both
      severe drowsiness and sleepiness
      paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
      severe slurring of speech
      severe hyperactivity and restless legs
      atypical facial pain
      severe tremors

      Psychological/Psychiatric
      severe depression
      irritability
      aggression
      anxiety
      personality changes
      insomnia
      phobias

      Chest
      palpitations, tachycardia
      shortness of breath
      recent high blood pressure

      Gastrointestinal
      nausea
      diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
      abdominal pain
      pain when swallowing

      Skin and Allergies
      itching without a rash
      lip and mouth reactions
      hives
      aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

      Endocrine and Metabolic
      loss of control of diabetes
      menstrual changes
      marked thinning or loss of hair
      marked weight loss
      gradual weight gain
      aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
      severe PMS

      Other
      frequency of voiding and burning during urination
      excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
      increased susceptibility to infection

      Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all
      death
      irreversible brain damage
      birth defects, including mental retardation
      peptic ulcers
      aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
      hyperactivity in children
      severe depression
      aggressive behavior
      suicidal tendencies

      Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
      Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
      Epstein-Barr
      Post-Polio Syndrome
      Lyme Disease
      Grave’s Disease
      Meniere’s Disease
      Alzheimer’s Disease
      ALS
      Epilepsy
      Multi

      Martin Dunphy

      Dec 2, 2014 at 11:09pm

      Aspartame Free:

      You forgot Post-Death Syndrome.

      Aspartame Free

      Dec 3, 2014 at 2:04pm

      Martin Dunphy:

      That's a good one! You're exactly right! Thanks for posting!