Crystal Meth Substitute
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| Juli McDonald |
| 2/25/2010 |
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| The state Board of Pharmacy has enacted an emergency rule to immediately ban a legal chemical that mimics the effects of methamphetamine. The chemicals have been sold legally and are labeled as bath salts. All stores that sell them will have to remove the products from their shelves and destroy them. The board will have a hearing on April 23rd to review the decision. Crystal meth can be smoked, snorted or injected. Meth gives addicts a feeling of euphoria and can result in severe brain damage. "When they biopsy the brain, it will actually show microvessels in the brain are actually shattered like little mini strokes," said Kurt Snyder, Director of Heartview Foundation. In order to avoid being arrested, addicts are coming up with creative ways to get high. Earlier this week, two people ended up in the hospital after using bath salts in place of crystal meth. While the substitution is new and exciting for addicts, it leaves doctors wondering what damage it could do to the body. "Physicians are going to go, What did you use? What is the active ingredient? They`re not going to know how to treat that person and they may be in extreme peril," said Snyder. Substance abuse counselors and police are especially concerned what these new trends could mean for teens. Young people who have limited money and access might find the substitutes appealing. "There`s always an element of the substance abuser population that is this a high that`s cheap and free; you can`t get in trouble for it. There`s never a cheap and free high. There`s always a price to pay whether it`s legal or family relationships or your health. There`s always a price to pay with drug use," Snyder said. In a 2009 survey by the Division of Public Instruction, 3.4% of North Dakota high school students admitted to using methamphetamine at least once. |
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