What are bath salts? Unlike the lavender bath salts found at Bath & Body Works, synthetic medications (bath salts) are not intended to be used for aromatherapeutic purposes. The drug is typically a white crystalline powder that can be injected, eaten, smoked, or snorted. Bath salts made their significant entry into the United States from England in 2010. In the United Kingdom the drugs were used as a cheap alternative to ecstasy in clubs. Science, statistics, law, and history help us understand why these drugs are more dangerous than any other drug in the United States. The term "bath salts" itself, as described by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "refers to an emerging family of drugs containing one or more cathinone-related synthetic chemicals." Cathinones are natural stimulants found in the catha edulis (khat plant) native to East Africa and southern Arabia. Bath salt "cooks" create synthetic cathinones, so they can effectively mimic amphetamines (e.g. "meth"). Synthetic cathinones present in bath salts cause hallucinations, euphoria and paranoia. Bath salts react like both methamphetamine and cocaine. Dr. Lovis J. De Felice, a professor at Commonwealth University, says that “it would be like taking a very potent cocaine and a very potent methamphetamine at the same time. “Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that “processes movement control, emotional response, and the ability to experience pleasure and pain. When dopamine is released naturally, it is then taken up by neurons. On the one hand, just like methamphetamine, synthetic cathinones significantly increase dopamine levels. On the other hand, cocaine prevents the reabsorption of excess dopamine. Most bath salts increase t...... middle of paper...... Navy began to abuse synthetic drugs.Quotes:1. “Dangerous brand name drug delivers a one-two punch.” - VCU Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Np, nd Web. November 22, 20132. “Drug Facts: Synthetic Cathinones (“Bath Salts”).” National Institute on Drug Abuse. Np, nd Web. November 21, 2013.3. “Drug Facts: Synthetic Cathinones (“Bath Salts”).” National Institute on Drug Abuse. Np, nd Web. November 21, 2013.4. “The bath salt craze caught on tape.” YouTube. YouTube, June 4, 2012. Web. November 22, 2013.5. “Navy video is a disturbing image of bath salt abuse.” YouTube. YouTube, January 4, 2013. Web. November 22, 2013.6. "Bath salts." Bath salts. Np, nd Web. November 22, 2013. Images: http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/image-gallery/bath-salts/bath-salts04.jpghttp://a.abcnews.com /images/Blotter /abc_bath_salt_two_jt_120601_wmain.jpg