The Rise Of Recreational Bath Salts Usage

by Bridget on May 7, 2012

A new designer drug known as “bath salt” has become wildly popular amongst young people who are searching for a cheap and legal high. Poison control centers around the globe have reported a rapidly growing numbers of calls regarding this synthetic stimulant. More and more places are banning the drug, but, there is currently no federal law prohibiting its sale. If someone is addicted to bath salts, it is very dangerous and has series health consequences. They should seek help immediately.

Classification

Don’t be thrown off by the name as these bath salts are not the sort you would use to soak in the tub with. The presumption in the medical community is that bath salts are MDPV, or methylenedioxypyrovalerone, and are being manufactured by illegal street chemists with derivatives of pyrovalerone. However, nobody truly knows what is in bath salts because there is no way to test for these substances in a lab setting.

Where To Find Bath Salts

Retailers are marketing the drug as bath salts and labeling them as “not safe for human consumption”. This is in order to avoid them being classified as illegal. They can be bought at local mini-marts and smoke shops around the world under sold under names like Ivory Wave and Bolivian Bath. While many states have banned the sale, ultimately it will have to be a federal law that gets them off the shelves and out of the hands of the population.

Enforcement Policy

The government would have to say bath salts are a schedule 1 drug to make them illegal. Schedule 1 means the drug has no medicinal value and has a high likelihood for abuse.  The United States Drug Enforcement Agency has recently invoked its “emergency scheduling authority” to speed up this process. The DEA plans to make it so the possession and selling of bath salts illegal in the United States. This action will stay in effect for at least one year, during which the government is expected to call for permanent ban.

What They Do

There are many supposed side effects of bath salt use. Agitation, paranoia, and chest pain are all routinely experienced by users. High blood pressure and increased pulse rate is also common. However, currently there is no specific test to determine if someone has taken the drug. The only way to be sure if someone has ingested bath salts is if they tell you.

There has not been enough conclusive testing on the designer drug yet to determine what long-term effects it may have on a person. Currently, acute toxicity is the main dilemma being faced by the medical community. If you think you may be addicted to to bath salt you should seek a young adult drug treatment program immediately.

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