Bath salts land local man in hospital

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - It's sold as a common household product, but new bath salts are not meant for bathing. Users are snorting, eating, and in some cases, even injecting them. The consequences are dangerous and even deadly.

Retailers are selling bath salts to anyone, regardless of age.

Ivory Wave, Scar Face, and Hurricane Charlie are just some of the brand names.

Bath salts promise a euphoric high, but deliver a punch much stronger.

"They're hallucinating, they're seeing bugs, their skin is almost like paper, they're disoriented, so they start picking at it because they're out of control, they wind up injuring themselves," said Norfolk DEA Resident in Charge Mike Kennedy.

Kennedy said in some cases, users hallucinated so badly, they even committed suicide.

At Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, a 26-year-old man showed up paranoid, delusional, with an elevated heart rate and evidence of tissue damage in his nose and mouth. The reported cause was bath salts.

Hospital officials said he's now in stable condition.

A 16 ounce bag of normal bath salts sells for less than $5. The bath salts that landed one man in the emergency room are selling for much more - $50 to $60 dollars for a couple of grams!

"There's no safe dose, there's no small amount that you can use that is safe," said Dr. Rutherfoord Rose, Director of Virginia Poison Center.

Kennedy said agents haven't seen bath salts sold locally, but it won't be long before they do.

"It's a concern because it's coming," he said.

Local officials will likely work to ban bath salts much like they've done with the synthetic marijuana spice.

"Know what your kids are doing," said Kennedy.

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth would not say whether or not the 26-year-old admitted was in the military, but did say the medical center has an obligation to contact his command if he is. Bath salts fall under the military's zero tolerance policy.