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What are 'bath salts' and are they bringing on a zombie apocalypse? Of course not, but join Scientific American blogger Cassie Rodenberg at noon EDT today (Wednesday, June 13) to discuss the chemistry of this new class of recreational drugs and why it has been associated recently with unusual forms of violence.
CHAT TRANSCRIPT
Robin Lloyd
Welcome everyone to our 30-minute live chat today with Scientific American blogger Cassie Rodenberg.
I'm Robin Lloyd, news editor at Scientific American and I'll host this 30 min. chat today.
We will be discussing 'bath salts' and the 'zombie' attacks, and whether there is any good science on this subject. Obviously, zombies don't exist, but let's get into the chemistry and truth behind these latest incidents of apparently drug-induced violence. Our guest today is Cassie Rodenberg. Cassie is an Interactive TV Producer in New York City, a writer & former chemist. Follow her on Twitter @cassierodenberg. Here is her blog: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/white-noise/.
So let's get started. Cassie, could you start by explaining to everyone what bath salts are?
Cassie Rodenberg
Hi everyone!
Matt Wilson
Hi Cassie!
davidkroll
Glad to be here. I've done a little writing on compounds in bath salts and synthetic marijuana.
Cassie Rodenberg
Bath salts are the street name for a class of recreational drugs, that are synthetic and in the amphetamine and cathinone classes.
Robin Lloyd
So it's not just one drug, but there are a variety of substances?
Cassie Rodenberg
They're often marketed as things like 'Ivory Wave' and were initially called bath salts to get around FDA regulations. They stimulate the central nervous system and often cause feelings of euphoria and alertness.
BoraZ
I am interested in branding - where does the term come from, who uses it and why,
and should we use 'bath salts' when writing about it? Does it 'soften' the impact?
Cassie Rodenberg
It's branded 'bath salts' because marketers can claim it's 'not for human consumption' and 'for novelty use only'.
davidkroll
Re Cassie's point, products with the chemical(s) in bath salts were also advertised as plant fertilizer for a time. Also marketed as incense, cleaning products, etc.
mdichristina
Cassie, David: Why are we all suddenly hearing about 'bath salts'? What happened?
Cassie Rodenberg
It got big as a European club drug, because it's a relatively cheap stimulant alternative, and one that escaped under police radar. Bath salts are a nickname for a synthetic drug that has recently acquired a lot of media attention.
Kelly Brennan
In Schuylkill County PA, they were also sold as 'jewelry cleaner' for a little while.
BoraZ
So it's a 'wink-wink' way for dealers and users to be in the know, bypassing other's watchful eyes!
anatoliafergus
I heard that a few companies, like Costco, recently pulled their Epson salts thinking they are the same thing.
Rushil Fernandes
Okay, I have a couple of questions. When you say 'bath Salts' are you talking about actual bath salts, or is it a euphemism for a new drug? Second, let's have some references please. How does it do what it does and how nasty (or not) is it?
See what we're tweeting about
5 Comments
Add CommentHow am I supposed to join the live chat when you don't even provide a link to it? Sheesh.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThese type of drugs fall into two basic categories:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi) Tryptamines
ii) Phenylethylamines
There are about 200 synth's in each category...most of those performed by the great Alex 'Shasha' Shulgin.
As quickly as one drug hits the streets and is banned by the DOJ, the resourceful chemists will rearrange a few molecules to produce a similar drug with similar effects which may not fall under the 'analog' laws in the US.
Not many other countries have these laws...yet.
So the resourceful chemist will organise manufacture and/or distribution in countries where the rewards can still be reaped.
On a side note, the Australian Federal government is talking about banning the sale of Acacia (mimosa genus) plants from nurseries around the country.
It is a fairly easy process to extract DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) from the bark of these plants. This produces a 30 min hallucinogenic high when smoked.
The Government seems to have forgotten the large numbers of plants growing in National Parks, reserves and peoples back yards. Mature plants which have a higher conc. of DMT than babies purchased from the local nursery.
dangers of bath salt
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href="http://www.chacha.com/quiz/1226/what-should-you-do-on-father-s-day?aff_partner=DTAffiliate&ibid=16727&bid=16728&aid=CD11931">What Should You Do on Father's Day?</a> <img src="http://chacha.directtrack.com/42/11931/16728/" border="0" />
<a href="http://www.chacha.com/gallery/3725/dangers-of-bath-salts?aff_partner=DTAffiliate&ibid=16691&bid=16692&aid=CD11931 bath salt dangers
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere's a big money in zombies and the zombie apocalypse. Credit George Romero, "Resident Evil," "The Walking Dead" and a number of other popular culture resources for that phenomenon. But the business of zombies and zombie folklore isn't all fun and games. There's a darker side to "zombies" involving mind control narcotics, kidnapping, extortion and mind-numbing weapons engineering that's sure to give even the most skeptical individuals a scare. <a href="http://personalmoneynetwork.com/moneyblog/2012/10/16/zombies-exploitation-3/">Read more here</a>
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