Synthetic drugs are dangerous

To the editor:
There’s a new danger on our streets, and it’s being marketed in a seemingly safe way. Bath salts, as it’s called, is the newest synthetic drug available to our youth. Easily purchased in tobacco shops, truck stops and other convenience stores, bath salts are sold in fancy, attractive packages with catchy names like Blue Magic, Cloud 9 and White Lightning. While the name may reflect a normal product, this drug is far from normal. This new product contains mephedrone and methy-lenedioxpyrovalerone, or MDPV, which is known to cause rapid heart rate, paranoia, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts. Bath salts are being smoked, snorted and injected by people, resulting in extreme hallucinations, paranoia and, in many cases, death and severe injury.
The effects of this synthetic drug are being compared to that of methamphetamine or cocaine; however, the results tend to be deadly. In one case, a man who had used bath salts was found with self-inflicted wounds to his face and arms after he had tried to cut off his skin to “escape the demons.”
The United States is no stranger to synthetic drug use, and in recent years a ban on synthetic marijuana known as “K2” or “Spice” shed new light on this industry. Physicians across the country and the FDA are concerned about the growing use of these products, and move quickly to investigate. The ingredients used to make bath salts, however, are marketed for use as pesticides, PH optimizers and pond scum removal, and are difficult to regulate. The label clearly states that it is “not for human consumption” and still people are buying them to get high.
Dateline NBC aired a story about a family who lost their son after using the drug. He committed suicide to escape the hallucinations, and physicians say that isn’t uncommon. One physician referred to a patient as “flipped out.” The patient was anxious, combative and paranoid, and appeared to be having a psychotic break. Treatment for an overdose of this drug is not easy, he notes. Most techniques used to treat drug overdoses do not work on bath salts.
Today, bath salts are still available around the nation. For about $20-30, you can purchase them and walk away. Only seven states have banned the sale and use of bath salts, though many more have pending legislation about the use and sale of the dangerous, synthetic drug. One problem facing these states is that the product is sold on the Internet and is easy to obtain. Mississippi was the first state to ban the drug, but notes that several people are going over state lines to obtain the drugs or having them shipped to family in other states legally.
Indiana has seen several cases of bath salt overdose; however, there is no ban in place to regulate the sale and use of the product. State senators recently passed a bill that banned the sale of synthetic marijuana, but the ban does not cover other synthetic drugs. The FDA warns that bath salts are the newest fad and have already resulted in hundreds of emergency room visits across the country.
The situation is being monitored and researched to determine the exact consequences of bath salt abuse. In the meantime, parents, teachers and the public at large are being urged to discuss bath salts with children and students to educate them on the dangers of using bath salts and other synthetic drugs.
Sherry Rowles
Jay County Drug
Prevention Coalition[[In-content Ad]]