Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse issues alert over “bath salts”
Posted June 2, 2012 12:44 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse has issued an alert about “bath salts,” a new synthetic drug that can be injected, snorted, smoked or swallowed.
The drug can cause aggressive behaviour and a deep-seated paranoia in users, according to medical officials.
The drugs, which are a synthetic chemical, are not actually bath salts like Epsom salts, but rather a powerful stimulant created by individuals.
While they are illegal in some countries, they are still legal in Canada as they are packaged and labelled as bath salts which are, “not for human consumption.”
The salts are more common in rural areas, with cases of abuse reported in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The drug gives a powerful high and its base chemical, Methylenedioxypyrovalerone, or MDPV, is chemically similar in structure to amphetamines.
Health Canada is still studying the issue and has yet to comment on what they intend to do about the salts and MDPV.
The warning from the substance abuse centre comes following a horrific attack on a homeless person in Miami last week. The man responsible for the “zombie-like” attack is believed to have been under the influence of bath salts.
