Vermont Bans Bath Salts

Can it be?!  How am I going to exfoliate my skin the next time I'm taking a bath in Vermont?

More like "No More Beautiful Skin," amirite? Get it? Because... oh *sob*...

As I delved into the body of the article that was before me, I discovered my mistake.  It's not bath salts that Vermont is banning -- the gentle, water softening, cosmetic substance; they mean "bath salts" as in the drug.

Wait, what?

I'd never heard of this stuff before, but apparently folks are selling drugs like mephedrone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), and methylone by marketing them as "bath salts" or "plant food."  By marketing them as such and explicitly labeling them "not for human consumption," they're able to sell them to smoke shops and mini-marts for public distribution under names like "Ivory Wave," "Purple Wave," "Vanilla Sky," "Bliss," and others.  Several states have made the sale of bath salts illegal, and while there's currently no federal law prohibiting their possession, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has invoked its "emergency scheduling authority" and plans to make the drugs illegal.

On December 16th, the possession of bath salts was made illegal in Vermont.  The regulation was enacted as an emergency rule which will remain in effect until a permanent ban on the drug is put in place.  Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn hopes that criminalizing the drug will prevent it from gaining a foothold in Vermont, which, compared to other New England states, has experienced fewer cases of bath salt abuse.  As of last month, the New England Poison Control Center has reported nearly 200 cases of bath salt abuse: 147 in Maine, 35 in New Hampshire, and 11 in Vermont.

 Sorta like bricks of coke, in a way.

Bath salts strike me as an example of one of the failures of the War on Drugs.  In an effort to circumvent legalities, highly dangerous drugs are being dubiously marketed as cosmetics that anyone could accidentally buy and try using.  Also, the fact anyone would be inclined use it as a drug shows that people are willing to try anything to get high, and it's getting increasingly dangerous.  The effects of the high are certainly outweighed by all of the negative side-effects.  I don't even like taking drugs that are prescribed to me if the side-effects include stuff like nausea or dizziness.  Meanwhile people eager for the amphetamine-like high will risk spikes in blood pressure and heart rate, agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, and suicidality that can linger for days after taking the drug.

Not you too!

 

This one guy killed his neighbor's goat while on bath salts (though judging by his skin, he's probably doing meth as well): http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201105020871 (goat killing is one of those things that's just inherently creepy).  And though I can't recall the link, I was reading a story of a guy who very quickly ended up in a psych ward experiencing hallucinations and other stuff that gives me the jibblies.

Why can't people just be satisfied by the natural high that occurs when you taste something deliciously salty?  That is true bliss.

---------

Sources: 

• http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2011/12/16/vt_bans_bath_salts_before_it_becomes_a_problem/
• http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/bath-salts-drug-dangers
• http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201105020871