Howard County County Comes Out Clean in Bath Salts Sting

The trail of bath salts making its way through Maryland made a stop at the Elkridge UPS, which . But the UPS store on Marshalee Drive was not one of the many locations that Howard County’s public health officials scoped out during a “bath salts” sting operation earlier this month requested by the state.

Maryland’s Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene Joshua Sharfstein commissioned every county to find the prevalence of "bath salt" usage—a white powder, not actually bath salt, that can be snorted, swallowed or injected—in their areas over the past several weeks.

“Here in Howard County, they did a sting and went out to a number of gas stations and little shops that sell paraphernalia to do a survey,” said Lisa deHernandez, spokeswoman for the Howard County Health Department. “Of all the places we went—and we tried ones where we thought we might find something—none of them had bath salts.”

Still, substance abuse professionals say that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there, or couldn’t be unless the state takes action. “We’re not naïve,” said Dudley Greer, director of substance abuse programs for Howard County. “We’re sure they’re out there.”

In county-sponsored treatment programs, it is routine to survey patients about their drug consumption, which Greer said has shown that bath salts are on the rise. “We've had reports from adolescents that they have friends using them [bath salts],” said Greer. “None of our patients are, but we know they’re at least starting to appear. It’s not a severe problem, which is exactly the time you want to nip it in the bud.”

And that’s what Maryland plans to do. Sharfstein came out in support of a statewide ban on synthetic drugs known as “bath salts” last week. As a result of all the counties' studies, Sharfstein found that in Maryland, 22 people have been poisoned—including one fatality—from “bath salts.”

“The dangers are similar to other stimulants; they restrict the blood vessels and so can cause cardiac problems,” said Greer. “They can also cause convulsions.”

Greer added that “the danger is really greater” when a substance isn’t regulated because you don’t know what’s in it. “If parents find wrappers they can’t identify that say ‘Serenity Now’ or ‘bath salt,’ they should find out what they are—because they can be pretty innocent looking,” said Greer.

“Bath salts” are granular and look like powdered cocaine, he explained, and can be snorted, injected or swallowed. Howard County’s Drug-Free website has more information here.

Officials have reported that the chemicals are often labeled "not for human consumption" and sold under these names:

• Ivory Wave
• Bliss
• Zombie World
• Xtreme
• Dark Night Sampler
• Russian River
• Lunar Wave
• White Lightning
• Goodfellas
• Hurricane Charlie
• Snowblind Bath Salts

At the federal level, banning synthetic drugs can take years, reported the Washington Post. That’s why state officials said they’re trying to implement an “emergency ban” through the health department. The ban could take effect as soon as Sept. 1