Bath Salts—The Facts in an Infographic

This is an amazing infographic courtesy of the Pat Moore Foundation which shows the real facts about bath salt abuse. Louisiana had a major problem with bath salts. At one time it was thought that we were potentially a major distributor or even manufacturer for the drug nationwide. Since Governor Bobby Jindal banned the bath salts in Louisiana, many states have followed suit. That still hasn’t stopped rehabs in Louisiana from having to deal with more and more bath salt addicts.

Bath Salts—Another Designer-Drug Problem

The problem with designer drugs is that because they are constantly being engineered, legislatures do not have a way to effectively ban them. Some state politicians are looking at implementing broader language for a drug ban that can incorporate new designer drugs into its definition without constantly having to legislate new laws. The problem is that broader drug ban language can hurt the development of potentially beneficial pharmaceuticals. What is more, big pharma has a vested interest in there being as few drug-ban laws as possible. From the industry’s viewpoint, they already have to contend with too much legislation.

How Can We Stop This from Happening Again?

It is probably possible to achieve a healthier balance of restrictions. Some of the most commonly abused designer drugs, including synthetic marijuana, originated first in pharmaceutical labs and then were picked up on the street by designer drug manufacturers once word got out. Perhaps tighter confidentiality laws, plus penalties for drug manufacturers who let these experimental drugs get into the wrong hands, would lower the incidence of this problem occurring.