Bath Salts Update

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued the first nationwide study linking bath salts to almost 23,000 emergency room (ER) visits in 2011. This class of stimulant drugs came out a few years ago, labeled as a “legal high.” They can produce increased blood pressure, heart issues, seizures, addiction, psychosis and suicidal thoughts. In severe situations death can occur, particularly when bath salts are combined with other substances. In approximately two-thirds of the ER visits, additional drugs were used in conjunction with bath salts.

The bath salts issue is being compounded by Chinese laboratories which ship the drugs to the United States. Chinese chemists, who are under little or no governmental oversight in their country, continue to develop new formulations as current bath salts compounds are declared illegal.

According to The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the number of synthetic drugs has increased over 50% in less than three years.