N.J. bans 'bath salts' drugs

"Bath salts" selling more frequently across the country are not the ones Grandma sprinkled in her warm bath. They are designer drugs that New Jersey officials outlawed Thursday as they detailed recent stories of users who had extreme, violent reactions.

"Shady retailers are playing a deadly game, selling highly dangerous drugs with fake labels like 'bath salts' or 'plant food' to evade the law," New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow said as she announced raids of businesses storing the drugs.

"Here in New Jersey, the game is over. Today, anyone who sells these drugs is committing a crime. We're taking these drugs off the streets in order to save lives."

Six synthetic chemicals used to make the designer drugs were added to a list of controlled dangerous substances, making possession and sales illegal, with penalties similar to those for marijuana possession. Fines could top $25,000, and jail terms up to five years may be imposed.

The use of bath salts - which can be smoked, inhaled, or injected, and provide a high similar to that from cocaine or methamphetamine - has been turning up nationwide in a way authorities have not seen since the crack epidemic of the 1980s, said Steven Marcus, medical director for the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System.

New Jersey is among the first states to ban bath salts. Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi also have outlawed them.

In New Jersey, officials are allowed to reclassify and restrict the availability of chemicals that have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.

In addition to Thursday's ban, Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D., Middlesex) has introduced legislation to ban one of the main ingredients in bath salts.

In Pennsylvania, the attorney general does not have the authority to ban drugs, said Nils Frederiksen, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. A bill banning bath salts passed the state House unanimously this month and now awaits a vote in the Senate, which is considering a similar bill of its own.

On Wednesday, a Luzerne County Court judge, at the request of the district attorney, issued a permanent injunction banning bath salt sales after more than 100 people were treated at a county hospital.

Last week in Washington state, the Pharmacy Board moved to ban bath salts after a soldier shot and killed his wife and himself during a high-speed car chase near Olympia. Authorities later found "Lady Bubbles" bath salts in his pocket. The couple's 5-year-old son was found in their home, suffocated with a plastic bag.

New Jersey had a similar tragedy last month when Rutgers University student Pamela Schmidt, 22, was found dead in her boyfriend's home in Cranford. Robert Pariso, also 22, is charged with murder. His mother said her son was being treated for a bipolar disorder and abused drugs, including bath salts. He became increasingly paranoid, she said.

That case, Dow said, increased the urgency to take action, along with numerous other cases in the state. Authorities detailed how the drugs can cause extreme paranoia and hallucinations, and stimulate self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts. This year, 23 cases have been reported in New Jersey, compared with none last year.

According to the American Association of Poison Control, there were 1,782 calls to poison centers regarding bath salts from January through April, compared with 302 calls in 2010, officials said. The drugs factored into an estimated nine deaths last year, including the Dec. 3 death of a Mississippi sheriff's deputy shot by a 26-year-old gunman high on bath salts.

Thomas Calcagni, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, said reported cases likely represent only a fraction of those who use the drugs. There are likely many other cases of adverse reactions never reported, he said.

In the last month, Calcagni said, a 42-year-old man had such a serious reaction that he was foaming at the mouth with a dangerously high pulse. A 31-year-old man was fighting medical employees so aggressively that he was put in restraints before he could be treated. And a 25-year-old woman went to an emergency room a day after taking bath salts because she could not stop her arms and legs from shaking.

"She felt like she was coming out of her skin," Calcagni said.

Dow said anyone who voluntarily surrenders bath salts to authorities by May 8 will not face criminal charges.

She stressed that bath salts are not to be confused with Epsom or other soothing salts intended to be added to bath water, which can be purchased at drugstores.

The designer drugs are packaged as bath salts or incense and sold at truck stops, convenience stores adjacent to gas stations, and smoke shops. They also can be purchased on the Internet and carry names such as "Down2Earth" and "Kamikaze."

State authorities raided businesses in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties known to sell the designer drugs.

There is no legitimate use for the salts, Dow said, noting that authorities believe the drugs, which often carry a label noting that they are not for human consumption, were created strictly to be smoked or injected for a high and can cost as little as $10 a bag.