Bath Salts & K2 – The Synthetic Drug Craze
What Are Bath Salts?
Bath salts are not exactly what they sound like…they are not literally the bath salts you would use to soak in your bathtub. This name refers to a synthetic drug, mephedrone, or MDPV, which is an amphetamine. It has effects similar to methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as a hallucinogen effect. These synthetic drugs are extremely dangerous and highly addictive. People may snort them, smoke them, and even inject them.
Effects of Bath Salts
- Euphoria
- Mild sexual stimulation
- Hallucinations
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Decreased appetite
- Insomnia
- Paranoia
Bath salts cause a very intense high in the beginning, lasting for a couple of hours, followed by an even more intense low when users are coming off the substance. There have been a lot of reports of extreme paranoia and suicidal actions and thoughts. Many people have harmed themselves very severely or even killed themselves while on this substance or when coming down from bath salts.
There have also been instances where people who have taken bath salts start to exhibit ‘zombie-like behavior’ – literally attacking and trying to eat other people.
Just like any drug, this substance is very dangerous. This drug’s exact effects are different for everyone, and bath salts are especially dangerous because of their synthetic nature.
You’ll probably never know the ingredients that are in the bath salts that you are taking. Adding any kind of drug or alcohol with bath salts will make them even more dangerous, and the results could be fatal.
Another Synthetic Drug - K2
Another synthetic drug similar to bath salts drugs is K2. K2 is often called ‘fake weed.’ It mimics the effects of marijuana but is far more dangerous. Some other side effects of K2 include the following:
- Feelings of euphoria
- Confusion
- Severe Anxiety
- Rapid Heart Rate
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Erratic Behavior
K2 is similar to bath salts in the sense that it’s a synthetic drug. It was very popular for a while because it wasn’t technically illegal because it was so new. K2 often had different ingredients, so it was hard to regulate and make all of the ingredients illegal. In 2012, Obama signed the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act, which basically made K2 illegal and set it as a schedule I narcotic of the Controlled Substances Act.
Drug Tests for Synthetic Drugs
One of the other problems with these synthetic drugs is that they are not detected on standard drug tests. Certain synthetic drugs cannot be detected on any kind of drug test whatsoever. The synthetic drug K2 can now be found on certain drug tests, but not the ones found in home drug tests. The tests often have to be sent out to drug testing clinics to be tested for K2.
Bath Salts are also hard to test for, but some drug tests test for specific components commonly found in bath salts. The issue with bath salts and K2 is that they are synthetic, meaning their ingredients are constantly changing, so drug tests won’t always pick up the presence of these drugs.
Be mindful that these drugs exist, and know what symptoms to look for. Parents, teachers, counselors, and other people in positions of authority need to educate themselves about drug abuse in general, but especially about these newer, synthetic drugs. By educating themselves, authority figures can better understand what to look for and provide more education and awareness to young people.