County sees evidence of bath salts use

The scented crystals that people pour into their bath for a pleasant soak have nothing to do with the extremely unpredictable and dangerous drug called "bath salts" that has been hitting the streets of Maine this year. In July, Waterville police extricated a 24-year-old woman who had climbed into a sewer pipe 24 feet above the Kennebec River. She was naked and incoherent. Police believe she was suffering the effects of bath salts. Also this year, Bangor police arrested a man in the city who was carrying an assault-style rifle and ammunition. He was suffering from extreme paranoia and admitted to having taken bath salts. In another incident, a young Bangor man began to overdose from the drug. His friends removed all money and drugs from his pockets and, rather than taking him to a hospital, left him to die. These stories and more were told by Timothy Shaw, an overdose prevention specialist with Bangor Region Health and Wellness, at one of four public presentations about bath salts held in Calais and Machias during the week of September 19.
Just last year very few people had heard of the drug. It was formulated in the 1920s as a synthetic version of the plant khat but didn't see widespread use until 2000 when it was embraced as a new designer drug in Europe. In January 2011 there was one reported case of bath salts use in Bangor; by March there was a case being reported every day. By summer three police calls a day were related to bath salts use. According to Sheriff Donnie Smith, Washington County has now seen four or five cases in the last few months.
Bangor has been hit hard by the drug, far more than any other city in Maine, and, according to Shaw, no one knows exactly why. Shaw, Rick Redmond, business development director and a licensed social worker at Acadia Hospital in Bangor, and Sheriff Smith were panelists at the workshops aimed at alerting the public, healthcare providers, educators and public safety officials of the potential dangers associated with the drug.
Redmond told the more than 60 people in the audience in Calais that if Bangor had begun holding informational sessions six to seven months ago "we might have gotten ahead of this problem." In the last few months he has seen 50% of a 10-bed 24-hour stabilization unit at Acadia Hospital dedicated to bath salts users.
Bath salts are made with one of three drugs, the most common is the psychoactive drug methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV); the less common are mephedrone and methylone. One wouldn't know that toxic results are around the corner for users when looking at the small baggies. While there are cautions such as "not for human consumption," ingredients are sometimes listed as "a soothing blend of herbs and essential oils." They are sold under a range of names including Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky and White Rush. Until recent legislation was passed, the drug was legal, easily accessible in head shops and inexpensive at about $30 for a 500 mg packet, the equivalent of four doses.
The side effects can wreak terrible damage on the user and can include seizures, severe paranoia, loss of bowel control, heart attacks and body temperatures soaring to 107 degrees, which can cause the body to begin to break down and will lead to death if not stabilized. Shaw explained that users of many different drugs describe bath salts as "not a good high" with a "hard crash" after about four hours. But the drug's effects don't end with the crash. Even without taking the drug again, the user can cycle back into levels of psychotic or paranoid behavior for weeks. Some users have gone to emergency rooms seeking help to get the drug out of their system, terrified that they will return to a psychotic state.
Redmond noted that, because so little is known about the drug, there is no antidote, no specific treatment plan that can be used to treat users. He commented, "We do know that physical health goes down rapidly, so I think a high number [of users] are getting caught early by family members or others." Understanding the symptoms and reaching out for help will help save lives, he said.
One audience member brought home the potential consequences of the drug's unpredictable effects on users. What if a co-worker cycles into psychotic behavior in the workplace, she asked. Some workplaces use heavy, dangerous equipment. Police have already seen that users can lose all knowledge of who they are and where they are located and will have deep paranoia about the people around them. The subsequent adrenaline surge will cause them to fight with the strength of three to six people, which poses a very high danger to themselves and to others in the workplace. The sheriff cautioned people to be very careful, to educate themselves about the symptoms of bath salts on users and to call 911 if they suspect use. Redmond noted that Eastern Maine Medical Center could be a source for learning about workplace training procedures.
The sheriff anticipates that an upcoming meeting with the county's police chiefs will be focused on how the different departments can "utilize each other for help. That's going to be a top discussion."
U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have joined a congressional effort to federally outlaw the key ingredients of the synthetic narcotic. They are urging quick congressional approval of S.409, legislation that would add MDPV and mephedrone to the list of controlled substances making their possession and sale illegal in the United States.
"The severity of the problem cannot be overstated," said Snowe. "The scourge of this drug and its spread in Maine is deeply concerning and must be addressed at all levels of government. The efforts of law enforcement and other community leaders in Bangor and elsewhere are commendable, but the prevalence, spread and ease of access to this substance requires an additional federal response. As the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently noted, the chemicals in this drug 'pose a significant and growing threat to our nation.' Making it illegal to possess or sell mephedrone and MDPV, and raising awareness to the problem will help keep our communities safe."
On September 7 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) used its emergency authority to temporarily ban mephedrone and MDPV. The ban will be in effect starting in early October and remain in place for at least one year while the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services study a permanent ban on the substances.
For more information about bath salts symptoms, visit <www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/>.