I have to admit when I got the email from Whitney's School Counselor, Jennifer Tachell, subject line: "Bath Salts", I honestly thought it was for a school fundraiser and I was breaking out the checkbook. Apparently, I missed something between work, kids, home, work, kids, home because "Bath Salts" refers to a very dangerous drug.
Confused? I was when I heard about the designer (synthetic) drug now circulating through the Treasure Valley by the name "Bath Salts". Since the ban on "Spice" last year, "Bath Salts" has filled this niche market where the DEA and FDA have difficulty enforcing drug laws because of the synthetic nature of the drugs. This means dangerous checmicals are still getting into the hands of people intent on using them for the purposes of getting high.
"Bath Salts" are abused by snorting, injecting or smoking powders and come with innocuous sounding names like Ivory Wave, Red Dove and Vanilla Sky. The effect can be as powerful as methamphetamine and some have likened it to cocaine. The actual chemical names are mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV (if you're hanging out with your chemist friends).
This drug is currently legal, inexpensive and readily available in many places throughout the Treasure Valley. What is frightening is that it is possible for a 12 year old to legally buy it. How bad is it? It can quickly cause addiction despite very unpleasant hallucinations. This drugs addiction compels the user to continue binging on the drug until they reach a "perfect storm". The hallucinations have caused severe self mutilation and in worse case scenarios suicide and homicide. People with these hallucinations may not know their own parents and in one case a man believed two police officers were two demons, causing the individual to attack the police officers fully believing he was in the right.
The good news? The Idaho Legislature is likely to pass a bill this session banning "Bath Salts" and all forms of "MDPV" with an attached emergency clause, meaning the law will go into effect immediately after Governor Otter signs the bill.
If you need more information or suspect somebody you know has been exposed to one of these chemicals please strongly consider consulting Whitney's school counselor Jennifer Tachell (208-854-6588; emailto: jennifer.tachell@boiseschools.org) or some of the confidential resources offered on the Drug Free Idaho website: http://www.drugfreeidaho.org/resources/
-Whitney Parent
Nikki Rutledge
No comments:
Post a Comment