If you regularly watch the news, it’s quite possible you have seen the dire warnings about the growing use of bath salts as a drug in the U.S. It’s a powerful synthetic concoction that is packaged as bath salts in order to skirt the law. It’s legal in some U.S. states but not all, though that is in the process of changing.
So what does this have to do with Australia? There are increasing numbers of warnings on the news stations throughout the nation as the country tries to get ahead of the curve and prevent increasing importation and use. The drug can be purchased online as a mail order by Australians, but the government warns that possessing and importing bath salts is illegal under Australian analogue drug laws and will lead to arrest.1
What exactly are bath salts? They are still being called one of the emerging substances of abuse because use is not common, and there is not a lot of information about its long term effects yet. It’s a stimulant that comes in powder form or tablet forms and usually contains mephedrone and 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). The mixing of the two drugs in bath salts seems to be a fairly new occurrence but is becoming more frequent. The drug can be swallowed, snorted or injected.
Mephedrone is 4 methylmecathinone (4-MMC) or meow-meow. It is a synthetic stimulant drug that comes from the cathinone drug classes, and cathinone is derived from a flowering plant that is native to Eat Africa.
MDPV is a chemical designer drug meaning it’s a synthetic drug manufactured in a lab, and in this case is intended to produce effects similar to those produced by amphetamines. The chemical composition does not exactly match amphetamines though. It can be made at home, has no medicinal use and is a quite powerful stimulant. The bath salts containing MDPV go by a variety of names including Red Dove, Posh, Cloud Nine, Vanilla Sky, Ivory Wave, Purple Wave and Star Dust to name a few of the most popular. Bath salts are a relatively new drug because have only been used recreationally since 2005 and are referred to as “legal cocaine” or “legal amphetamines” in the U.S.
Calling the drug bath salts may seem odd, but there’s reasoning behind the name. The point originally was to get around the U.S. laws, but the name is following the drug into Australia when purchased online. Bath salts are sold in packets clearly labelled “not for human consumption.” MDPV is also sold under the guise of plant food and insect repellent.
The detection period is up to 72 hours; however, Mephedrone and MDPV require special lab testing and are not currently detectable in on-site urine or saliva drug testing. That will change should the drug grow in popularity. Where does this leave Australian employers? Is it hopeless?
The answer is a resounding” No, it’s not hopeless in the least, and it is imperative employers need to have a quality onsite drug testing program in place. An employee that is high on stimulants will almost always exhibit certain odd and erratic behaviours. During drug use the employee may sweat profusely, experience a rapid heartbeat causing a clutching of the chest, and develop increased blood pressure. In addition, the drug promotes a feeling of euphoria, increased alertness, agitation, anxiety and wakefulness. In fact, some users have been known to go without sleep for several days even though the euphoria may last approximately 4 hours. The longer a person goes without sleep, the more bizarre the behaviour gets creating a safety issue in the workplace.
A drug abuser frequently uses poly drugs to keep the high going and avoid the inevitable letdown. In that case the saliva drug test will detect marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine or other illicit substances used to extend the period of “high” or slow down the “fall.”
The intensity of the reaction to the drug depends on the dosage amount. It is said to be a stronger drug than cocaine and can produce severe effects on very low doses. When a drug abuser takes a high dose of bath salts, reactions to the drug may include panic attacks, hallucinations, psychosis from lack of sleep, and very odd and dangerous behaviour. The Daily Telegraph reported in May, 2011 that a man who was high on bath salts was arrested in the U.S. whilst wearing a woman’s bra and knickers and standing over a stabbed pygmy goat in a bedroom. He had been experiencing a 3 day high on bath salts and was experiencing psychosis.2 There are stories of people slashing their own faces and committing suicide after staying high for days.
Bath salts are in Australia. There is no doubt about that because a man was recently arrested in Tasmania after deliveries of packages of bath salts from China were monitored for a couple of years.3 Most bath salts are currently believed to be manufactured and sold out of China.
When an employee appears to be under the influence of drugs, an employer has every legal right to require the employee to take a drug test. If it is strongly believed the on-site drug test has produced a false negative or there are doubts about the results, then the employer can request a laboratory confirmation test that will include a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry test (GC-MS) which will identify the presence of mephedrone or MDPV.
Mediscreen (http://mediscreen.net.au/index.php?mod=services) offers onsite drug testing and access to quality laboratory testing when needed. Employers must be vigilant in their efforts to maintain a drug and alcohol free workplace because the illegal drug market changes rapidly. Call Mediscreen today on (+61) 1300 79 70 40
References
1. Bath Salts Drug Warning. (2011, June 6). Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Australia’s ten News: clip posted on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-bQukYSXlI
2. Man ‘high on bath salts’ arrested in bra and knickers accused of stabbing goat. (2011, May 4). Retrieved July 14, 2011, from The Telegraph.com.au: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/weird/man-high-on-bath-salts-arrested-in-bra-panties-accused-of-stabbing-goat/story-e6frev20-1226050079480
3. Guilty Pleas Over New Drug. (2011, February 24). Retrieved July 14, 2011, from
ABC News.net.au: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-02-24/guilty-plea-over-new-drug/1955460
