Do "bath salts" really turn you into a zombie?
To be clear: actual bath salts won't turn you into a zombie . Considering how hard their manufacturers sell their soothing, relaxing capabilities, they're more likely to turn you into a mummy. And with President Obama expected to sign a federal ban on 28 new "bath salts" varieties, we can feel comfortable buying actual bath salts again.
What are bath salts and are they addictive?
“Bath salts” refers to a highly addictive and dangerous group of drugs that are chemically made in a lab to resemble cathinone, a natural stimulant from the khat plant commonly found in east Africa and southern Arabia. Bath salts are very similar in their effects to methamphetamine and MDMA. Not all bath salts are the same.
What are illegal bath salts?
“Bath salts” is one of the newest drugs to hit the streets. These drugs have nothing to do with bathing. They are called bath salts because they are usually packaged as a product “for a soothing bath, not for human consumption.” Before the drugs making up bath salts were illegal, this kept sellers from having the drugs confiscated.
What happens when someone consumes bath salts?
What Are the Dangers?
- Violent and Unpredictable Behavior. Bath salts can cause extreme paranoia, hallucinations, and panic attacks. ...
- Addiction/Withdrawal. Bath salts have a high potential for addiction because they stimulate dopamine transmission. ...
- Overdose. Circuits in the reward system use dopamine to teach the brain to repeat actions we find pleasurable.
- Death. ...
Photos
What do bath salts actually do?
High concentrations of salts increase the density of the water and increase buoyancy, which makes the body feel lighter in the bath. Very high concentrations of salts in water are used in many isolation tank therapies.
What drug was Rudy Eugene on?
marijuana"Within the limits of current technology by both laboratories, marijuana is the only drug identified in the body of Mr Rudy Eugene," the Miami medical examiner's office said in a statement. Eugene was shot and killed by a police officer after he ignored warnings to stop eating Mr Poppo's face.
How is Ronald Poppo?
Poppo underwent numerous surgeries to repair the damage to his face. For the most part, his treatment is complete and he is fully-funded by Medicaid and can stay at the medical facility indefinitely, according to the WFOR report. Poppo also received $100,000 in a foundation fund thanks to the community.
Ripped To Ribbons
It may be a good thing that the video of Rudy Eugune chewing off the face of Ronald Poppo is difficult to see. The view from the security camera is often obstructed and, for most of the event, both the killer and victim are out of the frame.
Why Bath Salts?
Most people believe Eugene attacked Poppo after he ingested ‘bath salts’, which are a synthetic hallucinogens.
God Hates Zombies
In both this case, and in the previous post I’ve written on Austin Harrouff, both men were heavy into religion.
What is 'zombie drug' flakka?
Flakka is an alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PDP) drug, a new version of bath salts.
Why has the bath salt drug been linked to so many cannibal cases?
Flakka's link to cannabilism appeared to rise in the summer of 2012, when Rudy Eugene, a woman thought to be high on "bath salts" chewed the face and eyeball of a homeless man.
What are bath salts?
Bath salts are a designer drug of abuse with reports of dangerous intoxication from emergency departments across the US. "Bath salts" are not a hygiene product used for bathing, as the name might imply, but are dangerous synthetic cathinones.
What is in bath salts?
The most commonly reported ingredient is methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), although other stimulants may be present, such as mephedrone and pyrovalerone. 1 MDPV is of the phenethylamine class and is structurally similar to cathinone, an alkaloid similar in structure and effects to amphetamine and found in the khat plant.
Are bath salts illegal in the U.S.?
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced emergency scheduling in 2011 to control MDPV, mephedrone and methylone, all chemicals found in bath salts.
How do people use bath salts?
Users usually snort the drug up the nose, but it can also been injected, smoked, swallowed or used rectally. Toxic doses for the newer synthetic cathinones such as bath salts have not yet been determined 9, and doses can be variable due to the illegal nature of the drug.
What are the effects of bath salts?
Bath salts are noted for producing a "high" similar to methamphetamine: the sought after effects may include:
How long does the high last from bath salts?
The effects or "high" of using bath salts can last up to four to eight hours, but it may take a full two days to come down from the high according to some reports. Dangerous physical side effects, such as such as fast heart rate and high blood pressure, can be prolonged.
Extent of bath salt use
The use of bath salts has been reported to be on the rise. 10 In addition to use in the U.S., DEA reports of illicit MDPV use have been noted in Europe and Australia. The first reports of MDPV seizure was from Germany in 2007. 3 The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Israel have banned the chemicals.
History
Synthetic cathinones such as mephedrone, which are chemically similar to cathinone, naturally found in the plant Catha edulis (khat), were first synthesised in the 1920s.
Pharmacology
Pharmacologically, bath salts usually contain a cathinone, typically methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), methylone or mephedrone; however, the chemical composition varies widely and products labeled with the same name may also contain derivatives of pyrovalerone or pipradrol.
Usage
Bath salts can be ingested orally, snorted, smoked, or injected. Bath salts can be detrimental to human health and can potentially cause erratic behavior, hallucinations, and delusions. This is often due to their wakefullness-promoting effect, leading to insomnia.
Health issues
Bath salt/Monkey dust users have reported symptoms that include headache, heart palpitations, nausea, cold fingers, hallucinations, paranoia, and panic attacks.
Detection
MDPV and other synthetic cathinones cannot be smelled by detection dogs and are not detected by typical urinalysis, though they can be detected in urine and hair using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Distributors may disguise the drug as everyday substances such as fertilizer or insect repellent.
Prevalence
Little is known about how many people use bath salts. In the UK, mephedrone, commonly known as MCAT, is the fourth most commonly used illicit drug among nightclub goers after cannabis, MDMA and cocaine.
Legal status
The drug policy of Canada since Fall 2012 categorizes methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) as a schedule I substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, placing it in the same category as heroin and MDMA. Mephedrone and methylone are already illegal in Canada and most of the United States.
Aftermath
Poppo was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition, with 75–80% of his face above the beard missing and his left eye gouged out. He underwent facial reconstruction surgeries that took months to complete, but he remained permanently disfigured and blind.
Inconclusive toxicology investigation
Although the autopsy revealed no human flesh in Eugene's stomach, a number of undigested pills were discovered that have not been identified. Although police sources had speculated that the street drug " bath salts " might have been involved, preliminary toxicology reports were positive only for the presence of cannabis.
Criminal history
Eugene had been arrested eight times since he was 16, with the first arrest being for an assault in 1997. On February 25, 2004, Eugene broke a table, smashed items around the house, and pushed his mother out of the kitchen.
