Abuse of a dangerous, highly- addictive recreational drug called “bath salts” sold on the Internet and at some gas stations and convenience stores has made its way to South Carolina and much of the Southeast.
The designer drug has gained populari
ty and has already been banned in North Carolina and Florida.
Bath salts are packets of white powder with names like Vanilla Sky, Ivory Wave and White Rush. The packets are labeled and sold as “bath salts,” but actually produce a meth-like high and violent behavior in users and is usually smoked or snorted.
The drug is easy to get a hold of, costing typically $25 at convenience stores, can cause serious health problems, and is currently legal to buy and use in South Carolina.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that, “unlike traditional cosmetic bath salts, which are packaged and sold for adding to bath water for soaking and cleaning, the drugs sold as “bath salts” have no legitimate use for bathing and are intended for substance abuse.”
Dillon County Sheriff Major Hulon told SCNow.com that his office is “very concerned, and our hands are kind of tied right now.”
“We’re just trying to make people aware of how dangerous it is to experiment with it, because of the chemicals that are in bath salts,” Hulon said.
Even though abuse of bath salts is becoming more popular, it is difficult to combat the problem since the drugs are still legal in South Carolina.
The active ingredient in the bath salts is a chemical called MDPV, which is similar to cathinone, a compound found in a plant called Khat that produces leaves that are chewed in Africa. However, unlike organic cathinone, bath salts are synthetic drugs made in a lab.
Traumatic stories of overdoses have been circulating the country as the drug becomes more controversial. In Panama City, Fla., multiple officers were needed to restrain a man who tore a radar unit out of a police car with his teeth.
The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office is working with the legislative delegation and the General Assembly to ban the sale of bath salts in South Carolina. However, any definitive action against the drug is going to take time since there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
Contact the Strom Law Firm today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case.