The Summer of Bath Salts

[marmar]

By KEVIN DOLAK (@kdolak)
June 5, 2012


A Delaware senator praised pending legislation proposing a nationwide ban on "bath salts," a dangerous synthetic drug that's on the rise in the United States and might have led to the recent attack in Miami where a man allegedly ate off 80 percent of a homeless man's face.

"Dangerous drugs like bath salts are terrorizing our communities and destroying lives," Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said in a statement Monday. "Stricter measures must be taken to stem the growing prevalence of bath salts and other new designer drugs."

The number of calls to poison centers concerning "bath salts" rose 6,138 in 2011 from 304 in 2010, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. More than 1,000 calls have been made so far this year.

These so-called bath salts, not to be confused with cleansing products, are an inexpensive, synthetic, super-charged form of speed. The drug consists of a potpourri of constantly changing chemicals, three of which -- mephedrone, MDPV and methylone -- were banned last year by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/bath-salts-dangerous-drug-increasing-us/story?id=16496076#.T86YVFL0_To

[cynatnite]

1. They're already banned here in TN. n/t