A brief online article posted in Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, which is drawing quite a few readers is about an influx of designer drugs to the country.
A substance of particular concern is "synthetic marijuana," which officials say can cause psychoses and carries a high danger of overdose. Because both drug abusers and health care providers are unfamiliar with the side effects of designer drugs like synthetic marijuana, the chance of overdose and other ill effects are much greater.
Law enforcement and customs officials say that new substances arrive weekly and that the import of designer drugs even sometimes eclipses the import of traditional illicit drugs.
The paper wrote that the biggest problem with designer drugs is that neither users nor health care staff know how to anticipate unexpected side effects. The paper promised to expand the story in Monday’s print edition.
Scammers prey on seniors
Iltalehti wrote about scammers preying on senior citizens in Ostrobothnia. Over the weekend police received complaints from several senior citizens who said they were contacted by people claiming to be relatives in need of money.
In some cases the scammers allegedly said they need money because they said their car had been stolen. Police said they had not yet received reports of someone who had fallen for the tricks.
Officials reminded people to take note of incoming phone numbers and other information scammers may inadvertently give out, in order to track them down.
For sale: Siberian flying squirrel, frozen
According to Savon Sanomat, a man raised eyebrows and the attention of police after posting an ad on a supermarket bulletin board, offering to sell a deceased Siberian flying squirrel for 60 euros.
The man who posted his ad in the Prisma market in Kuopio said the squirrel was dead when he found it in his yard, and said he assumed it died of natural causes.
"The cat brought it to our steps at night," he told the paper.
"I found it on the steps, and it was dead but was quite intact. It was frozen and then I read on the internet that they can fetch 250 to 300 euros when mounted," he told the paper, explaining the reason why he decided to put the animal on sale.
The Siberian flying squirrel is a protected species and police said that it was illegal to sell them, whether dead or alive, saying that it should have been brought to a museum of natural history.
