New Bath Salts Research Available to Coalitions

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, has released electronically-published research on “bath salts” applicable to coalition work.

“DrugFacts: Synthetic Cathinones (“Bath Salts”) details new research on what this emerging category of drugs does to the brain. The term “bath salts” refers to an emerging and dangerous family of drugs containing one or more synthetic chemicals related to cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant found naturally in the Khat plant. 

Dr. Michael Baumann, NIDA staff scientist and researcher, said the DrugFacts publication is part of the ongoing designer drug initiative with various federal partners including the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

To avoid confusion when describing the drug in coalition educational campaigns and advocacy work, Dr. Baumann recommends calling the drugs Synthetic Cathinones, also referred to as ‘bath salts,’ since the drugs are not pleasantly-scented bubble bath. 

Sold under such names as Ivory Wave, Red Dove, Bliss and Vanilla Sky, or referred to as innocuous, everyday items like ‘plant food,’ synthetic cathinones contain chemicals that can cause amphetamine like reactions such as hallucinations, paranoia, rapid and irregular heartbeats and suicidal thoughts. All of these names and seemingly infinite chemical alterations by mostly overseas synthetic chemists are to skirt regulatory control, they are not really something that one would want to put in their body, Dr. Baumann said. 

“As we continue to with the DEA, our piece is to determine the risk, pharmacology and toxicology. We know that these are synthetic stimulants, so we have been studying what are the drugs out there? What are these drugs actually doing? What’s the toxicology?” he said.

Dr. Baumann also notes that very little is known about how these substances interact with other drugs and alcohol.

“In the lab, we’re only beginning to unravel what these drugs are doing to the brain and the body,” he said. CADCA’s members have worked at the local, state and federal levels on policies that have identified retailers and contributed to banning the drugs’ use. Many contributed their recommendations to amend the Controlled Substances Act and designate certain synthetic substances as schedule I drugs. ‘Bath salts’ and a number of synthetic marijuana compounds will now be banned across the country. Internet sales have been problematic, however.

“There are individuals who actually document their trips online for others to learn from,” Dr. Baumann said. 

The 2012 Monitoring the Future survey on nation-wide teen drug use will include bath salts for the first time. Survey results will be released Dec. 19.