What Are Bath Salts?

We hear a lot of talk these days about bath salts and the most common two questions that I hear are “what are bath salts “ and “I thought you used those in bathwater”.  The confusion comes in the name. There are bath salts that are used in bath water; however, these are not the bath salts that you are hearing about today.  The bath salts you here about today is a drug that is formed from methylenedioxypyrovalerone, although newer pyrovalerone derivatives are being made by illegal street chemists.

Bath salts can usually be found in mini-marts and smoke shops sold as Ivory White, Bolivian Bath and other names and are usually labeled “not for human consumption” which allows them to avoid being labeled as illegal.  Most law enforcement officials believe that eventually all of these chemicals will become illegal.  Being illegal, however, does not mean that they will disappear.  Cocaine, marijuana and heroin are illegal but they are all still out there for consumption, which leads to addiction problems.  Bath salts will likely follow that trend.

Bath Salts are very scary in that when using them you experience agitation, paranoia, chest pains suicidal feelings an increased pulse and high blood pressure.  Some of the suicidal feelings have resulted in suicides several days after bath salt use.  As for being addictive, they have not been around long enough to know if they are or not but that may be a moot point if the suicidal feelings enter your mind after the first use.

Will bath salts stay around?  The answer is probably because as with any new drug, they are under the radar like most designer drugs and are constantly changing as drug makers will keep creating new combinations at home and in illicit drug labs.