Bath Salt Dangers Continue

Recent news of a brutal attack in Miami that has been attributed to the use of bath salts has many showing new interest in these dangerous synthetic drugs. A naked Florida man with only a minor arrest record was reportedly found chewing on the face of an elderly homeless man. When police arrived, he growled in response to their commands to stop and continued the attack. Surveillance video footage of the event went viral, resulting in many referring to the horrific crime as a “zombie-like attack.”

Not everyone’s experience with bath salts leads to a gruesome crime, but CNN recently reported on a Tennessee man who had his own horror story to tell. After overdosing on bath salts (aka “the new LSD”), Freddy Sharp, 27, found himself strapped onto a gurney and restrained. Even then, he continued singing, making faces and twitching.

“I’d never experienced anything like that,” Sharp told CNN. “It really actually scared me pretty bad.” He added that he was hallucinating about being in a mental hospital and being possessed by Jason Voorhees, the character from the Friday the 13th movies.

It could have been much, much worse. In the Miami event, 31-year-old Rudy Eugene was shot and killed by police when they were unable to restrain or stop him. Witness Larry Vega flagged down police, who attempted to end the attack. When they were unsuccessful, they opened fire. Eugene’s victim was in critical condition at a Miami hospital following the attack.

For those who haven’t heard much about bath salts, these aren’t the flowery-smelling spa products you give your mom. Instead, they are amphetamine-like chemicals sold as “cocaine substitutes” or “synthetic LSD.” Effects include paranoia, hallucinations, convulsions and psychotic episodes.

Sharp’s overdose scared him straight and he hasn’t used bath salts since, but there are plenty of others willing to try them out despite the dire warnings and scary stories.

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