First K-2 (which only exists because weed is illegal), now this bullshit:
When Neil Brown got high on bath salts, he took his skinning knife and slit his face and stomach repeatedly. Brown survived, but authorities say others haven’t been so lucky after snorting, injecting or smoking powders with such innocuous-sounding names as Ivory Snow, Red Dove and Vanilla Sky.Some say the effects of the powders are as powerful as abusing methamphetamine. Increasingly, law enforcement agents and poison control centers say the bath salts with complex chemical names are an emerging menace in several U.S. states where authorities talk of banning their sale. (emphasis mine)
I wonder who…
From the Deep South to California, emergency calls are being reported over exposure to the stimulants the powders often contain: mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV. Sold under such names as Ivory Wave, Bliss, White Lightning and Hurricane Charlie, the chemicals can cause hallucinations, paranoia, rapid heart rates and suicidal thoughts, authorities say. The chemicals are in bath salts and even plant foods that are sold legally at convenience stores and on the Internet.
Notice the repetition of the “meph-/meth-” sound in those chemical names? Sounds to me like some tweakers, out of desperation for a fix, went to the store & started looking at ingredient labels. Now, why would they do that?
In northern Mississippi’s Itawamba County, Sheriff Chris Dickinson said his office has handled about 30 encounters with bath salt users in the past two months alone. He said the problem grew last year in his rural area after a Mississippi law began restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in making methamphetamine.
Bingo.
People want to get high, and what the law says really doesn’t matter. When it comes to meddling with our brains, human curiosity is basically unstoppable. Meth heads subbing bath salts, chemical incense as a synthetic marijuana, there’s even been reports of hardcore alcoholics attempting to drink hand sanitizer or chugging mouthwash. Then, of course, there’s paint thinner, industrial glues, Reddi Whip (look up “whippit” sometime), even…well, you get the idea by now.
This was the first thing I thought of when I saw this story:
I fully expect to hear reports of people trying that on the news eventually. Critical thought about why we in particular get fucked up so much in the first place, on the other hand…
Psychopolitik 