'Bath Salts' Designer Drug Smoked, Snorted or Injected Fatally Affecting Users in US

A new powerful designer drug is sending users to emergency wards of hospitals in the United States with signs of psychosis and violent behaviour.

The highly stimulating substances, called bath salts, have left some users injured and others dead.

Bath salts are man-made stimulant drugs that resemble scented bath powders and sometimes plant products. Bath salts stuck as a name and the drugs can be smoked, snorted or injected.

Sellers also call them names such as "Vanilla Sky," "Blue Silk" and "Ivory Wave", reports Discovery News

Costing as little as 25 dollars for a 50mg packet and available in convenience stores or online, the drugs are believed to be the cause of a rash of recent deaths.

Twelve deaths have been associated with people taking the drug.

Hospital doctors have warned that the new drugs, which are banned in at least 28 states, have dangerous side effects and users have needed several people to hold them down after arriving in emergency rooms.

Even high doses of sedative or being shot with a stun gun does not appear to calm users down and in some cases patients have had to be put under a general anaesthetic.

Source: ANI