I’ve been hearing some stuff on the news about people snorting bath salts and doing some crazy stuff. Should I throw away the stuff in my bathroom? Why are we suddenly just realizing these are dangerous?
The term “bath salts” has been bounced around the media quite a bit recently, especially in light of the “Miami zombie” attack where 31 year-old Rudy Eugene literally chewed the face off of another man while possibly under the influence of the substance. While these so called “bath salts” are, unfortunately, nothing new, there is still a lot of confusion about what they actually are.
Don’t look in the pharmacy
First of all, let’s talk about what they aren’t. These aren’t your grandmother’s bath salts. These aren’t epsom salt, which is simply magnesium sulfate (and great for soaking in for relaxation — it helps produce seratonin). And they aren’t that nice smelling stuff you can buy at those stores with “body” in the name that sell fruity lotions.
Those things are all fine and dandy and perfectly suitable for dumping into the tub, lighting some candles, and kicking back with a copy of O magazine, if you’re into that sort of thing.
So what are they, Mr. Wizard?
The “bath salts” in question are generally found in head shops, convenience stores, and online under names like “Ivory Wave,” “Bolivian Bath,” “Vanilla Sky,” and “Bliss,” to name a few. Instead of containing nice smelling fragrances and moisturizers, the main ingredient in this stuff is methylenedioxypyrovalerone (commonly and hereinafter referred to as MDPV), a psychoactive drug with stimulant properties — a nasty combination.
Once inhaled/ingested/injected/smoked, these substances produce a sense of euphoria for a period of three to four hours. They’ve also been shown to cause agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, delusions — all of which can lead to severe violence against others or to the user themselves.
This is nasty stuff, folks.
Above the law?
In fact, nasty enough that the US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a temporary one year ban on MDPV on October 21, 2011, classifying it as a Schedule I Controlled Substance — having a high potential for abuse with no currently accepted use for medical treatment in the United States. In addition to the temporary federal ban, New Jersey, Tennessee, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky and Florida among others have banned or otherwise made the sale or possession of MDPV illegal as well.
The message here is to stay away — far away — from any of this stuff. You want something nice to soak in the bathtub with? The corner gas station probably isn’t the best place to find it.
Not what you think
The term “bath salts” has been bounced around the media quite a bit recently, especially in light of the “Miami zombie” attack where 31 year-old Rudy Eugene literally chewed the face off of another man while possibly under the influence of the substance. While these so called “bath salts” are, unfortunately, nothing new, there is still a lot of confusion about what they actually are.
Don’t look in the pharmacy
First of all, let’s talk about what they aren’t. These aren’t your grandmother’s bath salts. These aren’t epsom salt, which is simply magnesium sulfate (and great for soaking in for relaxation — it helps produce seratonin). And they aren’t that nice smelling stuff you can buy at those stores with “body” in the name that sell fruity lotions.
Those things are all fine and dandy and perfectly suitable for dumping into the tub, lighting some candles, and kicking back with a copy of O magazine, if you’re into that sort of thing.
So what are they, Mr. Wizard?
The “bath salts” in question are generally found in head shops, convenience stores, and online under names like “Ivory Wave,” “Bolivian Bath,” “Vanilla Sky,” and “Bliss,” to name a few. Instead of containing nice smelling fragrances and moisturizers, the main ingredient in this stuff is methylenedioxypyrovalerone (commonly and hereinafter referred to as MDPV), a psychoactive drug with stimulant properties — a nasty combination.
Once inhaled/ingested/injected/smoked, these substances produce a sense of euphoria for a period of three to four hours. They’ve also been shown to cause agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, delusions — all of which can lead to severe violence against others or to the user themselves.
This is nasty stuff, folks.
Above the law?
In fact, nasty enough that the US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a temporary one year ban on MDPV on October 21, 2011, classifying it as a Schedule I Controlled Substance — having a high potential for abuse with no currently accepted use for medical treatment in the United States. In addition to the temporary federal ban, New Jersey, Tennessee, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky and Florida among others have banned or otherwise made the sale or possession of MDPV illegal as well.
Obviously, some retailers haven’t gotten the message yet.
Low salt diet
The message here is to stay away — far away — from any of this stuff. You want something nice to soak in the bathtub with? The corner gas station probably isn’t the best place to find it.
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