Bath salts (also called psychoactive bath salts, PABS
Drugs
Bath salts usually contain
cathinones, typically methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV, also known as "monkey dust", although this term can refer to
MDPHP as well
),
methylone or
mephedrone; however, the
chemical composition varies widely
and products labeled with the same name may also contain derivatives of
pyrovalerone or
pipradrol. In Europe the main synthetic cathinone is mephedrone, whereas in the US MDPV is more common.
Pharmacology
pharmacology, very little is known about how bath salts interact with the brain and how they are
drug metabolism by the body. Scientists are inclined to believe that bath salts have a powerful addictive potential and can increase users' tolerance.
They are similar to amphetamines in that they cause stimulant effects by increasing the concentration of monoamines such as
dopamine,
serotonin, and
norepinephrine in
.
They are generally less able to cross the blood brain barrier than amphetamines due to the presence of a
ketone that increases the compound's polarity.
Usage
Bath salts can be ingested orally, snorted,
Smoking, plugged 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 wakefulness-promoting effect, leading to insomnia.
Interaction with alcohol
Bath salts are often consumed concurrently with alcohol. A 2015 study
has investigated the interrelation between
mephedrone and alcohol, focusing on psychostimulant and rewarding effects. It showed that
Ethanol, at low (non-stimulant) doses, significantly enhances the psychostimulant effects of mephedrone. This effect is mediated by an increase in synaptic
dopamine, as
haloperidol, but not
ketanserin, was capable of blocking the potentiation by alcohol.
Subjective effects
Bath salts come in a powdered or crystallized form that can be swallowed, smoked, injected, or snorted. Subjective effects are similar to MDMA or cocaine
but with a duration of 5–6 hours. Both substances cause a rapid onset of action in the central nervous system,
and stimulant toxicity.
Adverse effects
Bath salt/monkey dust users have reported symptoms that include
headache, heart palpitations,
nausea, cold fingers,
,
paranoia, and
.
Other symptoms similar to those of stimulant overdoses include mydriasis, dyskinesia, tachycardia, and hypertension.[ ][ ]
In larger doses this class of substances can cause effects similar to those seen in cases of serotonin syndrome.
Detection
MDPV and other synthetic cathinones cannot be smelled by
and are not detected by typical
urinalysis,
although 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.
Based on reports to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, use of bath salts in the US is thought to have increased significantly between 2010 and 2012.
The increase in use is thought to result from their widespread availability, undetectability on many drug tests, and sensationalist media coverage.
User's age tends to range from 15 to 55, with the average age being 28.
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.
In the United Kingdom, all substituted cathinones were made illegal in April 2010,
In July 2012, US federal drug policy was amended to ban the drugs commonly found in bath salts.
Society and the media
Use of bath salts or monkey dust has spread through social media.
Anecdotal reports of the drug increasing its users' pain thresholds while simultaneously giving them increased strength can largely be attributed to the emergency services and frontline NHS staff. Such reports have been picked up, and sensationalised by the regional and tabloid press.
In 2018, in the city
Stoke-on-Trent,
Monkey dust was reported to be an entirely new compound, when in fact preparations of MDPV and MDPHP or "bath salts" have been available since the early 2000s.
The print press and broadcast media have often used textual framing techniques to report on synthetic cathinone use among society's most vulnerable. Terms like "epidemic", "zombie attack" and more recently "
Hulk" are often used when describing users.
In August 2018, Staffordshire police said they were receiving around ten calls per day regarding monkey dust. However, it was not clear whether the incidents actually involved monkey dust, or a combination of substances.
Contrary to popular belief, during the investigation of the 2012 Miami cannibal attack toxicologists found no trace of the components in bath salts during the autopsy of the attacker.
Bath salts or monkey dust were originally a research chemical or Designer drug. Users would purchase the chemicals off the internet, ingest them and blog about the effects.
History
Synthetic cathinones such as
mephedrone, which are chemically similar to the
cathinone naturally found in the plant
Catha edulis (khat), were first synthesised in the 1920s.
They remained obscure until the first decade of the 21st century when underground chemists rediscovered them and began to use them in designer drugs, as the compounds were legal in many jurisdictions.
In 2009 and 2010 there was a significant rise in the use of synthetic cathinones, initially in the
United Kingdom and the rest of
Europe, and subsequently in the
United States. Drugs marketed as "bath salts" first came to the attention of authorities in the US in 2010 after reports were made to US poison centers.
In Europe, the drugs were predominantly purchased from websites, but in the US they were mainly sold in small independent stores such as gas stations and
.
In the US, this often made them easier to obtain than cigarettes and alcohol.
Bath salts have also been sold online in small packets.
[ ]
Hundreds of other designer drugs or "legal highs" have been reported, including artificial chemicals such as synthetic cannabis and semi-synthetic substances such as methylhexaneamine.
In the US, the number of calls to poison centers concerning "bath salts" rose from 304 in 2010 to 6,138 in 2011, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
See also
-
Illegal drug trade
-
Online illicit drug vendor
-
Recreational drug use
