They are called synthetic drugs, but produce a high as intense as the real thing.
Tuesday the Missouri House gave final approval to a bill outlawing synthetic marijuana and hallucinogenic drugs marketed as "bath salts." The vote of 143-13 sent the measure to Gov. Jay Nixon.
Bath salts are cheap and easy to obtain. Some are sold for as little as $10 at many head shops which sell drug paraphernalia. These bath salts are not water-softening products at all, but crystalized chemicals that are snorted, swallowed or smoked. They contain two powerful stimulants: methylenedioxypyrovalerone (or MDPV) and mephedrone, which mimic cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine.
As described on the web site Greenwhichtime.com, unlike actual bath salts, which resemble small colorful rocks and are sold in large canisters, the drugs are a white or light brown powder sold in small packets to people who ask for it by code names like "sunshine." A 250-milligram package of the substance usually costs about $27 at smoke shops or convenience stores, while a much larger container of actual bath salts can be purchased at retail stores for about $4.
Missouri House Republican Ward Franz, of West Plains, was the sponsor. He says the "bath salt" drugs are actually a synthetic form of cocaine that causes users to become violent toward themselves and others.
When we first reported on the problem back in April, the numbers were rising of people suffering serious health consequences. People have shown up at hospital ER's suffering from labored breathing and rapid heartbeats and extreme paranoia and delusions. The symptoms can persist for days.
The Missouri Department of Health issued an advisory in February warning of the number of calls to poison control centers about bath salts.
At the request of The Associated Press, the American Association of Poison Control Centers <http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/default.aspx> analyzed nationwide figures on calls related to synthetic drugs. The findings showed an alarming increase in the number of people seeking medical attention.
At least 2,700 people have fallen ill since January, compared with fewer than 3,200 cases in all of 2010. At that pace, medical emergencies related to synthetic drugs could go up nearly fivefold by the end of the year.
If signed into law, the new legislation would also ban synthetic forms of marijuana sometimes called K3. Missouri banned a different type of synthetic marijuana known as K2 last year, but drug makers tweaked the formula to get around the law.
Under this year's bill, possession of synthetic marijuana would carry the same penalty as marijuana possession.
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