1st Body in San Diego County Tests Positive for "Bath Salts

Source: 1st Body in County Tests Positive for "Bath Salts" | NBC San Diego

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The medical examiner’s office reported Friday, for the first time in San Diego County, a body tested positive for compounds that produce an amphetamine-like high found in so-called “bath salts”, according to the North County Times.

The designer drug product, which sometimes resemble bath salts, can be found on European websites, as well on the shelves of North County smoke shops, the paper reported.

However, unlike the more common bath salts, these chemical-laced products contain simulated cathinoes that when injected or smoked can produce a methamphetamine and Ecstacy-like high.

Users of the drug feel alert, euphoric and more aware of the sense, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The drugs can be addictive and can cause panic attacks, hypertension, high blood pressure, nosebleeds, dizziness and erratic behavior.

Details about the death of the middle-aged man have yet to be released said Dr. Iain McIntyre, chief toxicologist for the medical examiner's office, but he told the NCT the positive find was the office’s first since they began testing in May.

"We had heard about it ('bath salt' products) through various conferences and scientific meetings, and decided to see if we could test for it here with our current methods," McIntyre said in an interview. "Turns out we can."

28 states have banned the product and earlier this year Assemblyman Ben Hueso, D-Chula Vista, introduced Assembly Bill 486, which would ban the products in California.

Police officials in Escondido and Carlsbad told NCT they were aware bath salts were on sale throughout the city, but they hadn’t seen any arrests or major criminal investigations concerning it.

Figures on the American Association of Poison Control Centers show reports that poison centers took 303 calls about synthetic cathinones in 2010. The site also reports between January 1 and July 7 of this year, it had taken 3,740 calls.

Though abuse of the bath salts has increased across the nation, a federal ban by the DEA could take years, since they require intense scrutiny.

For more information visit the North County Times or NBC San Diego

Source: 1st Body in County Tests Positive for "Bath Salts" | NBC San Diego

Bath Salts or Poisons

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New generation street drugs called "Bath Salts", that are sold legally at stores dealing in drug paraphernalia, are causing overdoses and deaths across the country. Doctors and paramedics are seeing increasing numbers of victims and since they do not know what drugs, chemicals or poisons are being consummed, they are finding it extremely difficult to treat the overdose victims.

Dangerous drug 'bath salts' still legal in many states

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Louisiana and Ohio have become the latest states to ban the substances, which are similar to "synthetic marijuana."

By John PlattMon, Jul 18 2011 at 11:23 AM EST

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Photo: Nomadic Lass/Flickr

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal last week signed a law to ban "synthetic marijuana" and new recreational drugs known as "bath salts," which are still legal in almost half of the United States, according to a report from WDSU. Ohio Governor John Kasich also banned bath salts and other new recreational drugs on Friday.

 "Bath salts," which get their name from their visual similarity to the soothing chemicals you put in your bath, contain man-made substances known as methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). According to theNew York Times, "Both drugs are related to khat, an organic stimulant found in Arab and East African countries that is illegal in the United States. They are similar to so-called synthetic marijuana, which has also caused a surge in medical emergencies and been banned in a number of states."

Bath salts—which can be purchased online or at convenience stores or head shops for $25 to $50 for a 50-miligram packet—can be snorted, injected, or smoked. According to various reports, the drug causes a cocaine-like high.

That high is also reportedly quite dangerous. The Times interviewed several doctors who reported people on bath salts arriving in hospitals "so agitated, violent and psychotic that a small army of medical workers was needed to hold them down." Even high amounts of sedatives or Tasers did little to calm some of these people down. Others have engaged in activities similar to people on PCP, such as running into traffic or scratching their skin off.

According to WDSU, "At least 12 deaths nationwide have been directly linked to bath salt drug substances to date, and there have already been 4,042 reports of these drugs being ingested by people in the US this year."

Despite the risk, bath salt use is on the rise. The Times cites statistics from the American Association of Poison Control Centers which found that local poison control centers received 3,470 calls about bath salts during the first six months of this year, up from 303 during all 12 months of 2010.

The Times reports that the Drug Enforcement Agency is looking into adding mephedrone and MDPV controlled Schedule 1 substances, which would place the in the same class as PCP, heroin, ecstasy, marijuana and khat. Methamphetamines are a Schedule 2 drug.

Local DEA offices, like the one in New York State, where bath salts have been criminalized, are already targeting bath salts. The agency made its first arrest last month. "We were sending out a message that if you're going to sell these bath salts, it's a violation and we will be looking at you," special agent John P. Gilbride told the Times.

Ohio's new law also banned a drug called K2, usually legally sold as incense, apparently becoming the first state to ban this up-and-coming drug, which just a week ago one site was pitching as 

Fort Lewis soldier who killed wife, self had taken synthetic 'bath salts' drug

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 An Army medic who police say shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in April was under the influence of a powerful drug known as "bath salts."

By Christine Clarridge

Seattle Times staff reporter

An Army medic who police say shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in April was under the influence of a powerful drug known as "bath salts."

On Monday, the Thurston County Coroner's Office said toxicology tests done on David Stewart, 38, and Kristy Sampels, 38, revealed they both had the bath-salt chemical, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in their bodies when they died. While the results help explain the behavior of Stewart, according to the coroner, it does not shed light on what happened to the couple's 5-year-old son, who was found suffocated in the couple's Spanaway home.

Bath salts, which in April was being sold legally to state residents in tobacco shops and over the Internet, have a chemical composition that's similar to methamphetamine, according to the Washington Poison Center.

The state Board of Pharmacy issued an emergency 120-day ban on the drugs 10 days after the deaths of Stewart and Sampels and the process for a permanent prohibition of the drugs and their chemical components is under way, according Donn Moyer, a spokesman for the state Department of Health.

Stewart, a twice-deployed combat medic stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, shot his wife and then himself on April 5 outside Tumwater in front of a State Patrol trooper who had pulled him over for speeding on Interstate 5. Their son, Jordan Stewart, was later found dead in the family's Spanaway home. The boy, who died of asphyxiation April 4, had bruising on his body and a bag over his head, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office.

The additional toxicology test for MDPV was ordered after Thurston County death investigators found a small jar of "Lady Bubbles" brand bath salts in Stewart's pocket and noticed granules of the substance in his car, according to Coroner Gary Warnock.

According to Jim Williams, the Washington Poison Center's executive director, bath-salt drugs first came to the attention of law enforcement authorities and medical personnel last year in Louisiana, where the drugs are now banned.

Since then, the drugs, which are believed to be manufactured in Asia, have made their way across the country, where they have been linked to numerous incidents of violence, Williams said in April.

Williams said the drug, which is typically snorted, is believed to be similar to, but more addictive than, methamphetamine.

Bath salts are not to be confused with Epsom salts or soaking salts that are sold in the bath aisles of pharmacies or beauty-supply shops, Williams said.

PA lawmakers vote to ban bath salts and fake pot Continue reading on Examiner.com PA lawmakers vote to ban bath salts and fake pot - Harrisburg Headlines | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-harrisburg/pa-lawmakers-vote-to-ban-bath-salts-and-fake-pot#ixzz1PTGbJdMf

A bill that would ban the sale of a legal drug known as “bath salts” and synthetic marijuana is heading to Gov. Corbett’s desk.  After unanimous passage by the state Senate on Wednesday to outlaw the substances, which are now legal and easily available, Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk, an administration spokesman said.

This product should not be confused with the fragrant bathing products sold at a the local mall, the bath salts lawmakers moved to prohibit resemble baking soda and are typically sold at convenience stores, head shops, and on the Internet. A single dose can cost as little as $10.

“Bath salts,” which have the scientific name methylenedioxypyrovalerone, are a stimulant that can produce hallucinations and touch off bizarre or violent behavior when ingested, injected, or smoked.

The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, which supports the ban, said in a statement that the Legislature’s action would save lives. Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico, president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, praised the bill’s passage.

“Across the commonwealth we have seen horror stories resulting from individuals ingesting bath salts,” he said. “This will give police the tools they need to ensure kids and others are not using this substance.”

This week, police in Northumberland County said a 22-month-old baby and a driver believed to be under the influence of the drug were seriously injured when their car slammed the back of a truck and crashed into a stand of trees.

Law enforcement officials and legislators in states from Maryland to Illinois are moving to clamp down on bath salts, which mimic the effects of methamphetamine and cocaine. Several states, including Minnesota, North Dakota, Florida and Louisiana, have already banned their sale,

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Continue reading on Examiner.com PA lawmakers vote to ban bath salts and fake pot - Harrisburg Headlines | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-harrisburg/pa-lawmakers-vote-to-ban-bath-salts-and-fake-pot#ixzz1PTGdc31l

'Bath salts' drug worry on rise

Abuse of a dangerous, highly- addictive recreational drug called "bath salts" sold on the Internet and at some gas stations and convenience stores has made its way to the Lowcountry.

Some local doctors, including Summerville Medical Center emergency department physician Tim Osbon, worry bath salt abuse is on the brink of spiking in the Palmetto State, following the trend nationally.

"It's going to be a real problem," Osbon said of the powerful new stimulant with side effects he compared to those of methamphetamine. "It's about to get out of control. We're going to see a lot of it in the next year."

Despite his warning, an official from the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services said the designer drug is "not on our radar."

"There's no reason to think it's an issue in South Carolina yet," said training coordinator Jimmy Mount.

About a dozen overdoses from bath salts have been reported at Charleston-area hospitals in the past month, emergency department doctors said. Patients -- some of whom ended up in intensive care -- have come to emergency rooms with hallucinations, rapid heart rates, severe panic attacks, seizures and psychosis, doctors said. Some patients are unresponsive, while others are combative; some alternate between the two states, doctors said. The drug, which usually is snorted or injected, can lead to cardiac arrest, they said.

Bath salts, which have caused at least one reported death nationally since November and go undetected in normal drug screens, still are legal in South Carolina and most other states.

Other street names for the drug, whose chemical compound is MDPV, include "white rush," "cloud nine" and "vanilla sky." The drug -- which costs about $20 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- is not used for bathing and is unrelated to the actual bath product.

The Trident Health Systems hospitals have treated six bath-salt overdoses in just more than a month at its Moncks Corner, Summerville and Trident medical centers, a spokesman said.

Dr. Osbon said he recently treated a teenager who was unresponsive when he entered the emergency room at Summerville Medical Center following a bath-salt overdose. The teen was found in his car, slumped over and foaming at the mouth, Osbon said. The patient stayed in intensive care and was hospitalized for six days, he said.

Roper Hospital has treated several bath-salt overdoses in recent weeks, said Roper emergency department doctor John Walters.The Medical University of South Carolina emergency department treated an overdose case in the emergency room last week, a spokeswoman said. East Cooper Medical Center has not treated any overdoses attributed to bath salts a spokeswoman for that hospital said.

One recent case involved a patient who suffered severe trauma because he cut himself while high, Walters said. Another patient had dangerously high blood pressure and had suffered muscle breakdown and organ failure, he said, noting that overdoses could easily turn fatal.

"One episode can get you," he said.

The Legislature introduced a bill in March that would classify bath salts as a schedule I drug, a class that includes heroin and LSD. Although the House bill has more than 60 sponsors, it did not become law this session, which ends Thursday.

The drug has been around for at least a year, but has received national attention since the beginning of this year, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study abuse trends in Michigan. It released a report on the study last week that showed the demographics of the 35 patients treated for bath-salt abuse in that state since November.

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65 in Mich. treated for 'bath salts' abuse

RAVERSE CITY, Mich.— 

Abuse of recreational drugs sold as "bath salts" has sent 65 people to hospitals in Michigan over the past six months and caused at least one overdose death, according to a federal report issued Wednesday. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the report was based on the nation's first public health investigation of emergency room cases resulting from use of "bath salts," which are not the same as products added to baths for soaking and cleaning. "Bath salt" drugs contain stimulant compounds and are intended for substance abuse, it said. 


The report focuses on an outbreak of illnesses that ran from mid-November through March and was centered in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Patients had symptoms ranging from agitation to rapid heartbeat, seizures and hallucinations. One was dead on arrival.

"These are not your mother's bath salts," said Fred Benzie, health officer with the Marquette County Department of Public Health. "These are designer drugs that are highly addictive and harmful."

Bills pending in the state Legislature would make possession of bath salt drugs and some of their stimulant components a felony.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers says there has been a sharp increase this year in the number of people seeking medical attention from abuse of synthetic drugs such as bath salts, with at least 2,700 having become ill since January. Centers in 45 states and Washington, D.C., had received calls about the problem through March 22. By April 6, they had received five times more calls about the drugs than they did last year, the CDC report said.

The first case in the Michigan study was reported Nov. 13 in Marquette. By early February, the total had risen to 13 and one person had died, the report said. Toxicology reports showed the primary cause of death was a high level of a stimulant in bath salts drugs, although the person also had smoke marijuana and taken prescription medication.

"I'd never in 22 years in law enforcement seen a drug hit a community and cause so many police-related problems so quickly," said detective Capt. Gordon Warchok of the Marquette Police Department.

The county health department issued an order Feb. 4 banning local sale of the drugs. Benzie said the primary supplier appeared to be a Marquette "head shop" -- a store that sells recreational drug paraphernalia. The drugs were labeled "White Rush," one of several monikers they've been given.

But the abuse continues there and around the state. Thirty-five patients sought hospital treatment by the end of March, including 27 in the Upper Peninsula and 18 in Marquette County. Ten of Michigan's 83 counties reported at least one case. Three people went to the hospital more than once.

The users ranged in age from 20 to 55, the report said. Nineteen were men and 16 were women. About 70 percent had abused drugs previously and nearly half had a history of mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Injection was the most common means of taking the drug, but some people snorted or ate it, the report said.

Warchok said the local ban on sales produced a temporary slowdown. But use of bath salts has risen again as people increasingly buy the drugs online -- sometimes with different labels, he said.

"Our officers are weekly running into people under the influence with it," he said. "They recently interrupted a gathering of probably a dozen people at a local hotel and took 100 vials of White Rush out of the room."

As of May 16, the number of emergency room visits had reached 65 statewide. Doctors reported that some hallucinating users act violently, believing they are being chased by demons or enemy soldiers, said David Wade, the Michigan Department of Community Health's environmental health director.

Officials' ability to crack down on the drugs will be limited until the Legislature specifically prohibits them, Wade said. Peddlers have skirted the law by slightly modifying banned drugs and marketing them with labels such as "plant food," "bath salts" or "pond scum remover." They also include statements that the items are not for human consumption.

"But that's a wink," Wade said. "Clerks will sell them knowing full well they're going to be taken internally." 

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