Evansville police on the lookout for bath salts

EVANSVILLE A growing trend over the past 18 months is causing people to experiment with "bath salts," a synthetic drug that can have dangerous side effects.

While the crystalline, granular substance is called bath salts, it has nothing in common with the cosmetic product.

"They're not connected in any way shape or form," Cullum said. "'Bath salts' are never intended to be used in the bath tub."

The drug has been marketed under different names, among them are ivory wave and vanilla sky.

According to a 2011 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration news release, the DEA decided to use its emergency authority to ban three ingredients used to make "bath salts" for at least one year with the possibility of a six-month extension. The illegal ingredients are mephedrone, MDPV and methylone.

Dr. James Mowry, director of the Indiana Poison Center, said "bath salts" incidents have increased dramatically. In 2010, the center received four calls concerning the drug; in 2011 that number jumped to 361.

"People take it so they can get hallucinogenic effects," Mowry said. "But the problem is it's also like an amphetamine, so it can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, anxiety and one of the biggest things we've seen with it is it can cause psychosis and extreme paranoia in the users."

Mowry said large amounts can cause elevated body temperature and seizures.

The drug is sold in small packages labeled 'bath salts, not for human consumption.' Detective Sgt. Scott Hurt, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, said an issue is the packaging because it's always changing.

A small vile of "bath salts" costs $30 to $40, and a larger vile can be as much as $80, Hurt said.

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Evansville police on the lookout for bath salts