"A growing number of states are moving to ban a new synthetic drug known as "bath salts" that can cause severe side effects, including paranoia, hallucinations and sometimes violent behavior."
-----USA Today
Welcome to the big scary world of bath salts--a new drug craze sweeping the nation. These so-called bath salts are actually synthetic drugs known as mephedrone and MDPV that are marketed as bath products, plant food and other inedible items to obscure their real purpose: getting people high.
Blitzed,
Blown,
Blasted.
Secret's out.
While there have been reports of psychosis and other severe side effects in bath salt users, these stories are rare and usually involve a combination of irresponsible dosing and underlying mental illness.
Undoubtedly there is a newsworthy story here, but is it the one we're being told? While these mind-altering drugs can cause grave harm and even death, most of the tragedies surrounding bath salts are the result of factors other than the drug itself--all of which are totally avoidable.
Epic Fail #1--High-profile distribution. Bath salts are sold in public venues like gas stations and convenience stores across the country, where every 15-year-old and his kid brother can buy a pack for himself and his "homies". Common sense suggests that selling drugs to children--legal or otherwise--is a bad idea. Kids are prohibited from buying alcohol or tobacco products, so why are business owners stocking their shelves with amphetamine-like drugs and selling them to minors?
Epic Fail #2--Irresponsible labeling. Bath salt drugs are marketed in a most reckless manner by profit-driven manufacturers who forgo ingredients lists in lieu of cutesy names like "Vanilla Sky," "Ivory Wave," and "Trippin' Balls". Despite a total lack of regulation, all dietary supplements are required to display a list of ingredients on the label according to FDA guidelines. Even ephedra--the over-the-counter supplement that killed baseball player Steve Bechler in 2004--was held to this standard. How can bath salt users determine a safe dose or avoid dangerous interactions when they don't even know what they're taking? The result is an unnecessary game of Russian roulette that puts lives at risk with every snort, sniff and swallow.
Epic Fail #3--Lack of public knowledge about safer methods of drug use. The "Just Say No" approach is the intellectual equivalent of abstinence-only sex ed, which is a piss-poor model in terms of effectiveness. Many times, the things left unsaid by drug educators do the most harm by creating a vacuum of knowledge to be filled with speculation, myths and misconceptions. The idea that a drug is safe because it's legal is one example, but there are many others. And it's not just teenage zombies who are spreading disinformation--the media is leading the pack with inaccurate and patently untrue statements about the risks of bath salts. Early coverage was marred by confusion as reporters misidentified the drugs as actual bath and body products, which speaks volumes about the degree of ignorance surrounding the issue.
For those curious, here's a list of states that have already placed bath salts in Schedule I, making them illegal to possess or distribute. You've been warned:
*North Dakota
*Hawaii
*Louisiana
*Florida
*Huntington, West Virginia
Currently, at least three other states including Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky are working on legislation to ban bath salts.
Peace Out, Stay Salty--
Mary Microgram
Last night I had to take my mom to the ER for a severe asthma attack, her second in two days. During the long, long night in the ER while nurses monitored her vital signs over the space of 5 hours (before they finally decided she needed to be admitted for observation because her breathing still wasn't very clear), twelve cases of "bath salts" overdose were brought into the ER. Twelve. Obviously this drug has made its way into our normally fairly rural county, probably via truck stops along the highways nearby. I found myself feeling extremely angry because the woman in the ER room next to my mom's, separated by a thin curtain, was in the ER for the second night in a row from "bath salts" overdosing. I was actually glad to hear the nurses and the doctor on duty giving reading this woman the riot act instead of just being nice to her. Worse still, I am willing to bet that if all 12 of these people have medical insurance, it will probably cover their ER visits despite it being due to irresponsible drug abuse. Now, for those of us who, by misfortune of working in taxpayer supported public sector jobs during this deep recession, find ourselves nearly uninsured due to sharp cutbacks in our benefits, the idea of wasting taxpayer money on treating drug abusers - especially repeat ones like the woman in the room next to my mom - seems a bit preposterous. It's stuff like this that gets my hackles up and makes me see red. "Bath salts", indeed.......
ReplyDeleteAnd how many people were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning, alcohol-related injuries or complications of smoking while you were in the ER? (Here's a hint: a hell of a lot more than bath salt victims).
ReplyDeleteMy point is not that bath salts are safe. Quite the contrary. But the drugs themselves are only part of a larger problem. Bath salts are the moonshine of the drug war--a war that costs taxpayers infinitely more than the medical bills of all drug users combined. Oh, and it doesn't work.
Sorry to hear about your mother. Hope she's feeling better!
So, while you were sitting their being nosey did it ever occur to you that people have greater issues than drug abuse. I own a studio that sells some bath salts and herbal incenses and while I do have some repeat customers, most of them are only sometimers... if america would just stop running to the media and other government ran agencies everytime they did something they fealt guilty for, things would be a lot differnet. take a look at miley cyrus for example... if she wouldnt have started smoking salvia on tv, salvia would still be around in most places today. thank yourselves ppl for all the new laws reguarding drug and drug usage in the world. if yall would just learn to shut your jibbs and do what ever it is you want to do, without the media or police getting involved, theyre wouldnt have to be so many complaints reguarding this subject matter. and btw so far my main ppl that come in to buy the products are usually doctors, policeman, and other government officials.
ReplyDeleteSo what about the "zombie attack" in Miami last week that was a result of bath salts?
ReplyDeleteTurns out he didnt have any bath salts in his system. Only marijuana.
Deletewhy should we as people make it easier for drug users and our childeren to get high who in the world thought of this bath salt this is the first i heard of it my 13 year old told me about it today so i looked it up and it is really scary if my 13 year old daught knows about this bath salt craze then it could go alot younger an for people with childeren that is scary. and for you people who think its not a problem it is when our childeren can very eisaly get ahold of it.
ReplyDeletewow you guys are super gay and need to get lifes
ReplyDeleteyea i saw pics of that guys face. that black dood must have been tripping some serious balls to chew half his face off like that. i swear to god let some motherfuker try and chew my face, cause ill crow bar the bullshit out it. via zombie or black guy
ReplyDelete[The "Just Say No" approach is the intellectual equivalent of abstinence-only sex ed, which is a piss-poor model in terms of effectiveness.]
ReplyDeleteWell put.
As someone with a number of years "clean", this is the first that I'm hearing about "bath salts", courtesy of the "zombie attack".
Ida prolly run out and bought some back in the day, due to the adverse publicity...
All I have to say is, we as humans need the ability to escape reality. We have sought this escape since as long as we have existed. Hince the alchohol, shrooms, peyote, and other natural occurring "drugs" our ancestors used. As a parent that has been drug free for over 10 years I have to say I'd rather my son tell me he was using a "natural" high instead of a synthetic one. If the government only realized that people ARE going to get high and the only so called cure for the drug epidemic is to legalize the natural ones. Seriously, have you ever heard of someone overdose on pot or salvia? This is America and I am a legal aged consenting adult. While I agree that there should be laws regulating the age and where the natural drugs can be used, it's ultimately my choice. I'm an adult and it's my risk. That's like saying "you can't skydive because it can cause death". It's obserd.
ReplyDeleteYou really need to get the facts and know the truth about ALL drugs; including "natural" ones. The fact of the matter is, all drugs are dangerous. 90% of pot is laced with either PCP, crack or even embalming fluid. THC levels in pot have risen from 1% in the '70s to anywhere from 10 to even 30% today. There are nearly 500 known chemicals in pot and just one joint contains 4 times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette. As far as legalizing, think about this...alcohol kills more young people than all other drugs combined!! ...despite being illegal for people under 21. How? Because it's accessable and socially acceptable. Legalizing pot will have the same impact. In regards to "your choice"... it cost this country $600 billion a year in medical, economic and crime related costs. Who pays for that? We do! Drugs are the leading factor in most crimes. 75% of those in jail & prison are there due to drug-related/influenced crimes. Who are the victims? We are! It's not just "your risk"! We're ALL affected. Remember...Drugs aren't bad because they're illegal, they're illegal because they're BAD!
Deleteyou nuts? if pot was laced with anything it wouldnt be so cheap. man you check your facts at the grow house first then start talking. stories about pot being laced with pcp, coke, heroine, crack or whatever else was it said in media is bullshit. people who grow and sell weed want profit instantly. grow, crop, sell. lacing it with anything other than other herb like product (adding weight) is the only thing that happens. no one adds anything else to it. if it has funny taste or gives u headache its not sprayed. its badly grown on granulate with not enough water and only fertilizers added or not enough light. try eating a strawberry that was grown that way it wont taste like one. and as to the tar and all the cancer causing chemicals, yes. true. but thats why you have vaporizers and ice tubes and all that to get high without getting that. THC has actually been proven THC actually activates naturally produced receptors to fight off lung cancer. The researchers suggest that THC or other designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted fashion to treat lung cancer. THC actually activates naturally produced receptors to fight lung cancer. check out the facts man.
DeleteSo then whats up with all this overdoce ovcer this drug? So your saying this is okay?
ReplyDeletei think they should stop this before we all start eating each other!!
Im hi of bath salts right now if fucked holy shit I want people I should be in a rob zombie movie
ReplyDeleteJkjk fuck rob zombie
This crazy man was outside my door banging on my door. My mom's up stairs said it looked like he was on bath salts. I asked my teacher,he said it was a drug. So, I wanted to learn more.
ReplyDelete