“BATH SALTS” - What really is it?: “Bath Salts” are not a hygiene product, as the name implies. “Bath Salts” are a toxic synthetic-drug that are being used as recreational designer drugs. The most commonly reported ingredient in “bath salts” is methylenedioxyprovalerone (meth-ylene-dioxy-pyro-vale-rone) (MDVP), although other stimulants may be present such as mephedrone (a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone class and pyrovalerone (a psychoactive drug used to treat chronic fatigue and as an anorectic). Very little is known about how bath salts interact with the brain and how they are processed by the body.

PUBLIC MISCONCEPTION: The most common misconception is that the general public thinks that the drug Bath Salts is what we put in our bathtubs for example Epsom Salts. These drugs have nothing to do with real bath salts or bathing. The reason for calling this drug “Bath Salts” was to evade detection by authorities. The drug “Bath Salts” typically take the form of a white or off-white to yellowish powder that are sold in small plastic packs, capsules, tablets or foil packages labeled “not for human consumption”. By labeling these packages as not for consumption it allowed for the selling of the drug and allowed for the sellers to avoid prosecution of drug trafficking charges. “Bath Salts” have a variety of street names. These include: Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky, Cloud Nine, Blue Silk, Purple Sky, Bliss, Purple Wave, Red Dove, Zoom, Bloom, Ocean Snow, Lunar Wave, White Lightening, Scarface, Hurricane Charlie, Drone, Energy-1, Meow Meow, Sextasy, Ocean Burst, Pure Ivory, Snow Leopard, Stardust, White Night, White Rush, Charge Plus, White Dove, plant fertilizer, plant food .

METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION: "Bath Salts" can be swallowed, consumed orally or rectally, snorted, smoked (wrapped in cigarette paper), dissolved in liquid and swallowed or dissolved in liquid and injected., with the worst outcomes being associated with snorting or needle injection. Many frequent users prefer snorting "Bath Salts" combined with oral dosing because it provides a more rapid onset with a substantially longer duration of effect.

HOW AND WHERE TO OBTAIN "Bath Salts": “"Bath Salts"” are generally sold on the streets, but can sometimes be obtained by dealers via the internet and in head shop which is a retail outlet specializing in tobacco paraphernalia. They are sold in packages containing 50 to 200 mg of synthetic cathinone or in larger vials containing up to 500 mg. Canada's Federal government has banned the key ingredient in "Bath Salts" (methylenedioxypyrovalerone) as of September 2012. It is now illegal to possess, traffic, import or export MDPV in Canada.

TARGET POPULATION: There does not seem to be a “designated” target population for "Bath Salts" in Canada. Statics does show that the use of "Bath Salts" in Canada does appear to be mainly limited to the Maritime Provinces. There are no statistics on the prevalence of "Bath Salts" in Canada or the U.S., but the American Association of Poison Control Centers says the number of calls it received related to synthetic cathinones rose from 303 in 2010 to over 6,000 in 2011.1 Canadian Health officials and Drug Awareness organizations are targeting Canadian youths on the damage and dangers to using "Bath Salts". PHYSIOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION/DAMAGE
The psychotic side effects of "Bath Salts" can mirror those of LSD, Ecstasy, PCP, Cocaine, and “Meth”, and include the following:
Profuse sweating
Dizziness
Vomiting
Disorientation
Aggression
Agitation
Paranoia
Insomnia
Hallucinations
Intense Cravings
Seizures
Accelerated heart rate
Chest pains
Suicidal thoughts
Panic attacks
Psychosis
Death Currently there is little medical research that has been done on "Bath Salts" and to date they have not been tested on humans. Medical communities are not 100% certain how these compounds are metabolized or how they react with other drugs.