If you know your kids don’t do luxurious baths, and you hear talk of “bath salts” you suspect something isn’t quite right. What exactly are they are talking about?
The term “bath salts” refers to an emerging family of drugs containing one or more synthetic chemicals. The Khat plant contains these chemicals. The main psychoactive ingredients in Khat are cathine and cathinone, chemicals that are structurally similar to, but less potent than, amphetamine; yet result in similar psychomotor stimulant effects.
(1) Cathinone is a Schedule I stimulant under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
(2) Reports of severe intoxication and dangerous health effects associated with the use of bath salts have made these drugs a serious and growing public health and safety issue. Some bath salts users behavioral disorders like paranoia, agitation, and hallucinatory delirium. Some even display psychotic and violent behavior. They also cause deaths in several instances.
Bath Salts, Really?
These are bath salts in name only! These synthetic cathinone products are merely marketed as “bath salts” to evade detection by authorities. These salts are not Epsom salts or legitimate soaking products. The latter have no psychoactive, drug-like properties.
Bath salts typically take the form of a white or brown crystalline powder. They sell in small plastic or foil packages labeled “not for human consumption.” Sometimes they get marketed as plant food, or more recently, as jewelry cleaner or phone screen cleaner. They are sold online and in drug paraphernalia stores under a variety of brand names, such as Ivory Wave, Bloom, Cloud Nine, Lunar Wave, Vanilla Sky, White Lightning, and Scarface.
Morningside Recovery’s labs currently target 11 man-made derivatives of Cathiones and their metabolites. We stay abreast of the current trends of synthetic drugs. In that way, our labs add them to our list when discovered!
Whatever “salts” your teenager is using, addiction treatment services for many substances is available at Morningside Recovery. Don’t let this danger continue. Call 855-631-2135 to get some answers and some help.
