Bath Salts Drug: A Legal Drug No More

Bath Salts sounds like an innocuous substance but “bath salts” drugs are substances that are part of the current trend of drugs prized for their stimulant effects. “Bath Salts” or “Plant Food” were, until recently, legal in the United States and used by those looking for that sense of euphoria and increased awareness resulting from a powerful stimulant. Designer drugs such as bath salts are created to circumvent existing drug laws and do so, in many cases, by labeling the drugs “Not meant for human consumption”. It doesn’t take a lot of conjecture to determine the intended use of these bath salts however, when it’s sold on sites alongside so-called legal marijuana such as “K2” and “Spice”. Up until recently anyone could buy bath salts online. The general public is just now becoming aware that, in the case of these designer drugs, just because something is legal it doesn’t make it safe.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently made it illegal to sell or possess the chemicals mephedrone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), and methylone. These synthetic stimulants, either together or in part, are included in bath salts. The side effects of these bath salt chemicals range from the marginally worrisome such as insomnia, dizziness, teeth grinding, agitation, nausea, and hypertension to such severe side effects as hallucinations, paranoia, difficulty breathing, seizures and kidney failure among others. These are essentially the same side effects one would get from amphetamines or cocaine and, as with all drugs; there is the possibility of overdose. Several deaths have been linked to bath salts with MDPV. In some cases the deaths were indirectly caused by the drugs such as in the case of suicides or impaired judgment leading to death. In other cases the drugs were believed to have directly led to death.

Naturally each individual’s experience will differ and some will claim to have had mild reactions to the drug while others can suffer horrendous consequences. The long-term effects of bath salts are unknown as these drugs are a relatively new development and doctors are just beginning to monitor the effects. Awareness is a key tool the public can use in preventing abuse of bath salts and other similar drugs. MDPV is a fine powder that looks like powdered sugar and can be taken in a variety of ways including snorting, smoking, intravenously or orally. Mephedrone may appear as a white powder or in capsule or tablet form and can also be taken in a variety of ways. Methylone is primarily present in liquid form and taken orally. It is already illegal to possess or sell MDPV in the United Kingdom. Before the DEA outlawed its use, several states in the U.S. had laws against MDPV including Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey, Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington, Tennessee, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio and the list is growing longer every day.

Outlawing bath salts and similar designer drugs is one way to control the use of these substances but banning them will not lessen the allure of such drugs. Many are led to believe by the use of harmless names such as bath salts that these substances aren’t dangerous and are safe alternatives to the more well-known illegal drugs. This is not the case. Unfortunately it has taken several deaths, accidents, and violent acts on the part of those using bath salts to make the public and lawmakers aware of the effects. Drug dealers and others who stand to profit from the use of these substances may continue to mislead their customers but it is on the individual to educate themselves on what they’re really taking.