The rising popularity of a drug known to users as “Confetti” has gripped the attention of the public. Whether one is pitching their garbage in the back-alley community dumpsters of Walesburg or window shopping down Main Street in Reunion, signs of Confetti use are on prominent display.

The drug, Confetti, is a hallucinogenic brightly colored-strip containing multiple chemical ingredients. The size of the strip is approximately 1″ x 1″ circle that looks just like confetti. The texture is that of a breath mint strip. The Confetti street-name stems not only from the appearance of the drug but also the euphoric feeling, which users compare to winning a championship, which is commonly accompanied by confetti falling from above. The emotions of those under the influence also mirror athletes and coaches that have just won a major sports championship. Users have been spotted shouting incoherent, non-specific praise and thanks to “those that helped them get here”, or sobbing uncontrollably repeating, “I feel so blessed to be here”.

The Chorus spent a day in a manufactured tent-community in an alley between two vacant Walesburg properties. The alley is complete with tents, donated port-o-johns, and drugged-up vagrants.

“It’s the best, I say. This little strip integrates the highs of much more lethal, dangerous drugs and makes it into a safe, little, easy-to-digest strip,” said one anonymous user in between slipping in and out of coherency between hits. “All of us here, we are meant to be here for humanity’s enlightenment.”

The Confetti high can last as long as 1-2 hours, according to interviewed users. But, most commonly, users say the high lasts for about 30 minutes. Due to the entry-level pricing of this new street drug, users can afford to get high all day.

“A pack of confetti costs anywhere from $5 to $9, depending on the provider. One pack will have 24 strips and that’s enough to keep me flying all day, baby,” said another user while nursing her newborn. “But, with this little magic (her baby), I can’t get high all day any longer, I’ve got responsibility. So when it’s nap time for this little one, it’s Confetti time for mommy.” The Chorus questioned the new mother’s effort to balance her drug-use with raising a child in an alley, “I discovered Bob Marley’s music and met my first love the same day. Best feeling I’ve ever felt in my life. One of these strips gives me that feeling over and over again multiplied by 100, ya know?”

The Chorus may not know, but Walesburg residents are starting to find out. Last week, a masked person dropped confetti from the rooftops of the vacated multi-story buildings neighboring the vagrants tent-city. “It’s a real problem. These folks are hooked on drugs. Then, they loot, steal, or beg for their income. It’s tragic,” said a Walesburg resident who identified himself as “Night Shift”.

Contrary to public opinion, this is a problem not only in Walesburg but in Reunion too. A few wanderers have been unceremoniously removed from the downtown area after begging consumers and citizens for money. “I saw it happen. The HSL came through, packed up this man’s tent, and swiftly ushered him away with appropriate force. It’s unfortunate they have to use force but that’s the position these addicts put themselves in,” said Lucy Drysdale, a Reunion resident since 2013.

As long as the sky is blue, the sun burns bright, and the waves crash against the shore, there are chemical cocktails for the curious. Confetti continues the long history of substance abuse that has plagued society for centuries.