Bath Salt Abuse
A substance that has unexpectedly appeared on the shelves at tobacco shops and drive-thrus has transformed into a trendy -- and legal -- way to get high.
But Ohio lawmakers are attempting to join at least 10 other states in banning the substance marketed as a "bath salt." The element has a different chemical composition than the aromatic salts meant to be poured into the tub.
Bath salts are sold for up to $80 each in plastic bags the size of tea bags and in canisters the size of a quarter with a simple warning -- "Not for consumption."
"You could go to Bath and Body Works and get a lot of bath salts for $78. Right away, it makes you think something isn't right here," said Heath Jolliff, associate medical director for the Central Ohio Poison Center. "People are using this for its stimulant effects."
In most cases, bath salts contain mephedrone, a synthetic derivative of the natural amphetamine cathinone, which provides effects similar to those of cocaine, he said. Some bath salts have used other derivatives as well.
Bills to ban six derivatives of cathinone were proposed in both chambers of the Ohio legislature. The House version of the bill was introduced to the Health and Aging committee this month, but the Senate version likely won't be tackled until the state budget is complete.
"I think that the marketing is designed for a group of people that understand that it's a drug. For instance, somebody like me who may have walked into one of these stores may think it's a wonderful present for Mother's Day, not knowing it's quite different," said state Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, who sponsored the Senate bill that seeks to ban bath salts. "People who are familiar with the drug culture would know."
"I think this drug is going to burn itself out because it's rare to see anything on the Internet of positive effects from this," he said. "Every case we're seeing is negative effects."
Mansfield law enforcement officials called a news conference this week to educate people about the dangers of bath salts, which have been labeled a local epidemic.
Earlier this year, the methamphetamine unit of the state Bureau of Criminal Investigations was called to Delaware County to investigate a mobile meth lab, but the driver actually was cutting bath salts to be sold out of his trunk, said Special Agent Scott Duff, who runs the meth unit for BCI.
Bath salts users snort, inject or ingest the powder to achieve the high, Jolliff said.
Hospitals try to counteract the violent outbursts by rehydrating patients, administering relaxants and, in some cases, large doses of sedatives, Jolliff said. Because different bath salts use varying derivatives of cathinone, the immediate reaction is often unpredictable, he said. Some doctors have reported that some people who have taken bath salts experience paranoia for weeks after the initial dose, though no evidence of permanent damage has surfaced, Jolliff said.
Synthetic chemicals in bath salts do not show up on common drug screens, and the new drug was a major topic during an American College of Medical Toxicology conference in Washington, D.C., Jolliff said.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers began tracking bath salts in mid-2010 and recorded 302 cases nationwide that year. That has spiked to 2,360 cases so far in 2011.
Poison centers in Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland reported four cases in 2010, but that has jumped to 170 cases to date in 2011. The Columbus poison center, which covers much of central Ohio, has had 74 cases in 2011, but saw only one in 2010.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week published one of the first studies of emergency room visits by bath-salt users.
The report studied 35 people who had been admitted to a Michigan hospital after using bath salts as a drug and concluded that nearly half of the patients had a history of serious mental illness.
Although bath salts have appeared in central Ohio stores, research by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services indicates they are concentrated in the Cleveland and Dayton areas, said Brad DeCamp, assistant chief in the department's division of treatment and recovery services.
But Kearney said law enforcement that he has spoken to believe the problem could grow in southern Ohio and are frustrated by a lack of regulation.
"Until we get some teeth, our abilities are pretty limited," Duff said. "It's kind of unfortunate that this stuff can continue to be marketed as bath salts, knowing full well that the people marketing this stuff and peddling this stuff know what folks, mainly kids, are doing with this stuff."
Bath salts skate around existing laws by including a warning that they are not for consumption, according to the CDC study.
"Classes of designer drugs like 'bath salts' are intended to have pharmacological effects similar to controlled substances but to be chemically distinct from them, thus avoiding legal control," according to the CDC study.
Duff compared bath salts to synthetic marijuana, which was legally sold as incense before it was banned.
"Obviously, people know what they're buying," Jolliff said. "I don't think too many people are buying this accidentally."
A substance that has unexpectedly appeared on the shelves at tobacco shops and drive-thrus has transformed into a trendy -- and legal -- way to get high.
But Ohio lawmakers are attempting to join at least 10 other states in banning the substance marketed as a "bath salt." The element has a different chemical composition than the aromatic salts meant to be poured into the tub.
Bath salts are sold for up to $80 each in plastic bags the size of tea bags and in canisters the size of a quarter with a simple warning -- "Not for consumption."
"You could go to Bath and Body Works and get a lot of bath salts for $78. Right away, it makes you think something isn't right here," said Heath Jolliff, associate medical director for the Central Ohio Poison Center. "People are using this for its stimulant effects."
In most cases, bath salts contain mephedrone, a synthetic derivative of the natural amphetamine cathinone, which provides effects similar to those of cocaine, he said. Some bath salts have used other derivatives as well.
Bills to ban six derivatives of cathinone were proposed in both chambers of the Ohio legislature. The House version of the bill was introduced to the Health and Aging committee this month, but the Senate version likely won't be tackled until the state budget is complete.
"I think that the marketing is designed for a group of people that understand that it's a drug. For instance, somebody like me who may have walked into one of these stores may think it's a wonderful present for Mother's Day, not knowing it's quite different," said state Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, who sponsored the Senate bill that seeks to ban bath salts. "People who are familiar with the drug culture would know."
Powerful effects
Emergency room patients who have taken bath salts have shown high heart rates, hallucinations, agitation and prolonged paranoia, Jolliff said."I think this drug is going to burn itself out because it's rare to see anything on the Internet of positive effects from this," he said. "Every case we're seeing is negative effects."
Mansfield law enforcement officials called a news conference this week to educate people about the dangers of bath salts, which have been labeled a local epidemic.
Earlier this year, the methamphetamine unit of the state Bureau of Criminal Investigations was called to Delaware County to investigate a mobile meth lab, but the driver actually was cutting bath salts to be sold out of his trunk, said Special Agent Scott Duff, who runs the meth unit for BCI.
Bath salts users snort, inject or ingest the powder to achieve the high, Jolliff said.
Hospitals try to counteract the violent outbursts by rehydrating patients, administering relaxants and, in some cases, large doses of sedatives, Jolliff said. Because different bath salts use varying derivatives of cathinone, the immediate reaction is often unpredictable, he said. Some doctors have reported that some people who have taken bath salts experience paranoia for weeks after the initial dose, though no evidence of permanent damage has surfaced, Jolliff said.
Synthetic chemicals in bath salts do not show up on common drug screens, and the new drug was a major topic during an American College of Medical Toxicology conference in Washington, D.C., Jolliff said.
Rise in use
Little research has been conducted on bath salts, but Jolliff said he expects that to change as calls to poison centers continue to increase.The American Association of Poison Control Centers began tracking bath salts in mid-2010 and recorded 302 cases nationwide that year. That has spiked to 2,360 cases so far in 2011.
Poison centers in Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland reported four cases in 2010, but that has jumped to 170 cases to date in 2011. The Columbus poison center, which covers much of central Ohio, has had 74 cases in 2011, but saw only one in 2010.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week published one of the first studies of emergency room visits by bath-salt users.
The report studied 35 people who had been admitted to a Michigan hospital after using bath salts as a drug and concluded that nearly half of the patients had a history of serious mental illness.
Although bath salts have appeared in central Ohio stores, research by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services indicates they are concentrated in the Cleveland and Dayton areas, said Brad DeCamp, assistant chief in the department's division of treatment and recovery services.
But Kearney said law enforcement that he has spoken to believe the problem could grow in southern Ohio and are frustrated by a lack of regulation.
"Until we get some teeth, our abilities are pretty limited," Duff said. "It's kind of unfortunate that this stuff can continue to be marketed as bath salts, knowing full well that the people marketing this stuff and peddling this stuff know what folks, mainly kids, are doing with this stuff."
Bath salts skate around existing laws by including a warning that they are not for consumption, according to the CDC study.
"Classes of designer drugs like 'bath salts' are intended to have pharmacological effects similar to controlled substances but to be chemically distinct from them, thus avoiding legal control," according to the CDC study.
Duff compared bath salts to synthetic marijuana, which was legally sold as incense before it was banned.
"Obviously, people know what they're buying," Jolliff said. "I don't think too many people are buying this accidentally."
