Are You Snorting Your Bath Salts?

There is yet another up and coming new drug racing across our nation. This is a synthetic drug with effects similar to those caused by the use of cocaine and methamphetamine. It is being ingested via smoking, snorting or through injection.

These drugs can be found with names such as Ivory Snow, Snow Blow, Hurricane Charlie, White Bliss, White Lightening, White Dove and more. They are being sold within the United States in packets as labeled as bath salts or plant food in convenience stores, gas stations, smoke shops, tobacco stores, and the internet. The packets typically contain a fine white, ivory, yellow or light brown powder.

These products have been found to contain mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (also known as MDPV). Geared to sell to the recreational use drug market, they are gaining popularity because they are currently legal to possess and use in most of the nation. In fact, with the exception of a few states including Louisiana and Mississippi, and a few individual towns such as Huntington, WV, they have not been designated as a scheduled drug. If so, it would be illegal to sell, buy, or possess these drugs within the United States. They are already banned in countries like Finland and Denmark with other countries working on legislation to make them illegal.

Methylenedioxypyrovalerone and mephedrone are typically created in labs as research drugs. Due to the fact that they are created as not being for human consumption, they are not regulated. The source (or "parent") of these chemicals is a plant known as Cathinone, which is a government regulated plant grown in Africa. It is interesting to note that these drugs are not typical ingredients for bath salts, nor are they being used as plant food or fertilizers on most farms.

Unfortunately, as with any drug used for this reason, these new synthetic drugs are as dangerous, if not more so, than many of the other more "natural" chemicals. Classified as "stimulants", they affect neurotransmitters in the brain; however, the side effects can be devastating. One user took a knife after ingesting the drugs, and seriously slashed his face and chest. He survived although other users have committed suicide while under the influence of these same products.

The side effects these drugs may cause are: hallucinations, mood changes, paranoia, anxiety, agitation, rapid heart rates, high blood pressure, convulsions, and suicidal thoughts. They also create a perception that sleep and food are not necessary, along with a sense of euphoria, an increase in alertness, awareness, wakefulness and arousal. The high lasts approximately 3 - 4 hours.

Everyone, including parents, need to be even more vigilant in paying attention to what is going on in their homes and neighborhoods. The days where the biggest concern centered around the use of marijuana or huffing glue is over - as people continue to look for other ways of inducing a legal drug high.

Sources:

Bath Salts Becoming New Party Drug , by Amanda Hernandez, January 17, 2011
St. Tammany Parish DA, sheriff warn parents about potent 'bath salt' drug , By Ramon Antonio Vargas, December 6, 2010
"Legal highs" from bath salts and synthetic marijuana hit Bismarck , by Jenny Michael, February 24, 2010