"Bath salts" is the trade name of a legal, although very dangerous, synthetic drug sold under names such as "Blue Diamond," "Blue Silk," and "White Lightning." Teenagers are particularly vulnerable targets because the drug is easy to get and it's cheap. For less than 50 dollars and often as low as 20 dollars, customers can purchase what amounts to synthetic cocaine: a small packet of white crystalline powder that can snorted, injected, eaten or smoked. Bath salts are typically sold in head shops, convenience stores, gas stations and over the internet.
User of bath salts claim that the effects are similar to that of ecstasy, cocaine or methamphetamine. That high comes from mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, synthetic compounds more commonly known as MDPV. The Drug Enforcement Administration confirms that MDPV is chemically similar to meth, ecstasy and the natural stimulant, cathinone. The director of Louisiana's poison control center, Dr. Mark Ryan, reports that cathinone, which is native to Africa, is the parent substance of MDPV and it is regulated. However, MDPV is not regulated because it is not intended for human consumption.
Effects of "bath salts" drug use
Bath salts users looking for increased stamina, more intense sexual arousal and euphoria can also end up with hallucinations, high blood pressure, agitation, paranoia or suicidal thoughts. The synthetic drugs work on the neurotransmitters of the brain and can make users crave even more, often binging for days at a time before ending up in the emergency room.
Teenagers aren't the only ones lured by bath salts. The high that can result draws in meth addicts, too and in northern Mississippi, Sheriff Chris Dickson said that the majority of bath salt users in the region are meth addicts. The problem has grown since the state began restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, a primary ingredient in meth. Dickson also notes that those under the influence of bath salts can be dangerous and combative with officers, but since the drug is legal, the most that the sheriff's department can do is charge the users with misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Louisiana bans "bath salts"
The state of Louisiana issued an emergency order banning the sale of bath salts after the Louisiana Poison Control Center received over a hundred calls about the substance in a 90-day period in late 2010. The ban resulted in a sharp decline in calls about the drug, which gives some hope that bans can be effective. While other states consider similar action, federal regulation can take time. Executive assistant for the DEA, Gary Boggs, reports that regulating designer drugs, which includes reviewing abuse data, is a process that can take years.
References:
Washington Post: 'Bath Salts' Are a Growing Drug Problem, Says Officials: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/22/AR2011012202217.html
Huffington Post: 'Bath Salts' A Growing Drug Problem, Officials Say: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/23/bath-salts-a-growing-drug-problem_n_812693.html
Drug Enforcement Administration: MDPV: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/mdpv.pdf
