Treatment centers across the United States are searching for solutions to synthetic drug abuse. These new drugs are creating huge problems for the people who use the drugs. Calls to poison control centers across the country have increased in recent months, and emergency room physicians are reporting an increase in patients treated for the negative effects of synthetic marijuana and bath salts.
The unfortunate increase in popularity of these synthetic drugs has created a challenge for law enforcement and the medical community. These synthetic drugs are easily accessible, especially by teenagers, because they are sold in convenience stores and at gas stations. Lawmakers are trying to crack down on the distribution of synthetic drugs and banning the chemical ingredients, but the manufacturers are smart and find other ways to skirt the ban, making it difficult to stop the products from getting into the wrong hands.
Synthetic drugs have become big business, and when companies are marketing the products with bright packaging and seemingly innocent names, the problem continues to escalate. More and more people are turning to synthetic drugs because they are cheap, and many have discovered these products because pain clinics are closing in response to the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Many addicts are just exchanging one high for another. These drugs are just as addictive as prescription drugs or illegal drugs.
There are significant health problems associated with synthetic drug use. Emergency room physicians are seeing hallucinations, seizures, irregular heart rhythms, drug-induced rage, kidney failure, and in extreme cases, death from the use of these drugs. Treatment centers are trying to wrap their head around this new problem, and many drug rehabs are finding their resources taxed beyond anyone's imagination. Although insurance companies often do not cover detox from these substances treatment centers need to rise to the occasion, and find new and innovative ways to help people who have become addicted to these synthetic drugs.