Not Your Grandmother's Bath Salts

No one disputes that of all the drugs available to use and, yes, abuse, alcohol is the drug of choice. For all of us. Young, middle aged, and old. In fact, spanking new data just released by the Centers for Disease Control in its Vital Signs report show that binge drinking is a bigger problem than previously thought. (Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on an occasion.)  More than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink an average of four times a month, or almost once a week, with some consuming as many as eight drinks per binge. And in New Hampshire we do it better than most – 18.2% of our adult population engages in binge drinking, averaging 7.4 drinks per occasion!

However, if you’ve been around prevention and treatment long enough and if you’ve tracked the trends of use and abuse, you’ve seen and been challenged by another class of drugs that some of us call “designer drugs.”  And I don’t mean Gucci, Coach, or Chanel.  The web’s Free Dictionary defines designer drug as “[a] synthetic analog of an illegal drug, esp. one devised to circumvent drug laws.” Second definition: “A fashionable artificial drug.”

These definitions are spot on for the newest designer drug to rear its ugly head in our communities – Bath salts. Yes, I said bath salts.   And while New Hampshire might not be the trendiest or most fashionable state, I’m sad to say we are right up there with this trend. The Northern New England Poison Center (NNEPC) has reported an increasing number of calls from New Hampshire hospitals about “bath salts.” 

According to a NH Division of Liquor Enforcement Representative (via email):

The products in question are psychoactive stimulants being marketed as bath salts, plant food and pond water cleaners, marked ‘not for human consumption’ as a means of selling them legally. These substances are being sold at convenience stores, gas stations, specialty shops and over the Internet in small packets or bottles with names like Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky, Cloud Nine, etc.
The tan or whitish crystal or powder is smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed and causes symptoms which include chest pains, elevated blood pressure and temperature, hallucinations, agitation and paranoia, which can cause the person to become extremely violent and unpredictable. Symptoms can last for several days and can reoccur over several weeks. Because the specific ingredients vary from product to product, it has been difficult to treat patients who have been exposed, and difficult to legislate against the availability of these substances.

Here at New Futures, we’ve been hearing from lots of folks working in communities who are seeing these products in their local convenience stores and the gas stations down the street, and they are frustrated because it’s legal! 

They do not want them in their community, in their stores.  No way.

Here’s the problem.  Remember the definition of “designer drugs”?It turns out that even though the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) exercised its authority to place a one year temporary ban on the three synthetic stimulants that are used to make bath salts in October 2011, the manufacturers of these products are simply one step ahead of us by substituting other synthetic stimulants.  They can morph the product faster than the DEA can control the substance(s) used or government can legislate them away.

So, what can we do about this? I’m going to suggest a few things:

1. Educate yourself about these products.  A good way to start is with the facts.  Check out the DEA’s Fact Sheet or call the Northern New England Poison Center, 1-800-222-1222.  Even better, CADCA TV (Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America) is hosting an hour-long program, Designer Drugs: The New Frontier, set to air Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. EST.  Learn who’s most at risk and learn what you can do about it.  They will travel to Bangor, Maine, where some experts are saying this is the worst drug epidemic they have ever seen.  If you miss the program, you can catch it later with their on-demand feature at www.cadca.org.

2. Talk with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and, most importantly, your kids about the newest designer drug on the block. Have they heard about bath salts? Have they seen them for sale? If so, where? Maybe you want to visit your local convenience stores to check it out for yourself.

3. If what you learn moves you to get more involved, there are 10 substance abuse regional networks that cover every community in the state of New Hampshire, and they would love to hear from you.  They can tell you what they know about bath salts in your region and possibly connect you with other like-minded folks.

Bath salts are the newest trend. And while trends come and go, we can’t simply wait for bath salts to become passé, can we?  My advice?  See 1, 2 and 3 above!