Beyond Just Bath Salts

When are bath salts not bath salts? When they’re sold at convenience stores to high school and college students looking for a cheap, quick meth-like high. They seem innocuous, with names like Ivory Wave and Vanilla Sky, but these products are far from simple additives to a bath. Instead, these substances are only sold legally because they’re not labeled for human consumption. The same goes for other products labeled as plant food and “odorizer” (not to be confused with deodorizer).

As lawmakers and law enforcement look at ways to close the legal loophole that keeps these products on store shelves, users of these powerful substances are often getting much more than the high they bargained for. Many are experiencing negative reactions that include paranoia, hallucinations, rapid heart rates, suicidal thoughts, and violent behavior, authorities say. Compounding the problem in the fact that the products are so new that emergency room staffers don’t know how to treat the cases arriving in the E.R.

These stimulant powders, which typically cost around $20 for a small packet, contain mephedrone or methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV. The stimulants work by affecting neurotransmitters in the brain. Two states have already banned the substances and several others are considering taking the same steps, while federal officials may impose a nationwide ban. Currently, the stimulants aren't regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, but are facing federal scrutiny. Law officers say some of the substances are being shipped from Europe, but origins are still unclear.

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