Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jul 2012
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Jesse Kline

THE BATH SALTS EPIDEMIC THAT (PROBABLY) WASN'T

Police everywhere have been quick to blame the new drug for violent 
crimes, without any evidence to support the claim

When police caught Rudy Eugene chewing a homeless man's face off on 
the side of a Miami freeway last month, there were only two possible 
explanations: a) We were witnessing the start of the zombie 
apocalypse; or, b) He was on some sort of strange new drug that we 
should all freak out about.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control promptly put fears over the 
coming night of the living dead to rest, admitting it "does not know 
of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that 
would present zombie-like symptoms)." That left the synthetic drug 
"bath salts" as the default explanation.

After days of 24/7 media coverage, politicians took notice. Following 
media reports of bath salts being used in the Maritimes, the Canadian 
government went with the standard tried-and-true knee-jerk reaction 
and announced plans to ban methylenedioxpyrovalene (MDPV) - one of a 
number of possible chemicals used in the production of bath salts.

There are only a couple problems with banning MDPV. The first being 
that it is only one of a number of chemicals used in the production 
of bath salts. When the U.K. decided to ban bath salts in 2010, it 
chose to ban mephedrone instead. A study published in the medical 
journal The Lancet concluded that the ban has simply moved the sale 
of the chemical from Internet pharmacies to drug dealers on the 
street, and doubled the price. "We suspect that, in time, there are 
likely to be reductions in purity, and increases in health harms," 
the authors conclude. No kidding. That's what's happened with every 
other drug that's been banned.

The other problem is that there's scant evidence that bath salts are 
responsible for many of the stories that have been making headlines 
in recent weeks. Armando Aguilar, the president of the Miami 
Fraternal Order of Police, was largely responsible for spreading 
rumours that Eugene was on bath salts when he was found chowing down 
on human flesh. Aguilar told ABC News that the case bore a "striking" 
resemblance to those involving bath salts: "The cases are similar 
minus a man eating another."

Problem: Eugene was not on bath salts. Test results from both the 
medical examiner and an independent laboratory in fact show that he 
was not any hard drug. All they could find in his system was 
marijuana, and there's no proof he was high when the attack occurred 
(ill-timed munchie jokes not withstanding).

Ever since the Miami incident, media reports have made it sound as 
though this has turned into an epidemic. Police in Calgary say they 
"look forward" to the coming ban on bath salts, after two separate 
incidents are being blamed on the drug.

In one case, police got the suspect to confess that he was on bath 
salts. This was never confirmed by a tox screening. In a second 
incident, a half-naked man was found slamming his head against a 
fence. The man was not arrested and no toxicology was done there, 
either, yet Staff Sgt. Geoff Gawlinski told the National Post that 
"his behaviour was consistent with someone who could be [on bath 
salts]." Likewise, in Toronto, two police officers were sent to 
hospital following a fight with a man who may have been on the drug. 
Once again - this remains unconfirmed.

Essentially what we have here is public policy being formulated based 
on irrational fears, rather than scientific evidence. It's like 
Reefer Madness all over again, and the outcome is just as 
predictable. Banning the substance will cause prices to rise. 
Combined with heightened media attention that acts as free 
advertising, this will make it an attractive investment for drug 
dealers. As sales move from Chinese websites to the same guys who are 
selling ecstasy laced with PMMA, the quality will degrade, putting 
users at risk.

Banning it is easy, and gives people the impression that their 
government is moving quick to solve a problem. The fact that we're 
not even sure the problem exists is something better ignored.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom