By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

 Drug enforcement officials say they hope a new state law will help eliminate the use of a synthetic drug that has led hallucinating users to lick the sides of highways, punch strangers and lose control of their bodies.

Gov. Paul LePage on July 6 signed emergency legislation that bans the group of synthetic drugs marketed as “bath salts.” The drugs, which usually are snorted, cause hallucinations and a high similar to methamphetamines.

The emergency legislation outlaws bath salts, which often are sold over the Internet and in smoke and head shops. They are sold under names such as Vanilla Sky, Pure Ivory, Bolivian Bath and Banish.

Public Safety Commissioner John Morris said the drug is now contraband and law enforcement can seize it. The bill establishes a $350 fine for possession of the substance and trafficking penalties that carry jail time for repeat offenses.

“This is the worst drug to come on the market in my experience,” Morris said.

Twenty-eight states have banned the substance, often through emergency legislation.

Roy McKinney, director of Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, said he first saw reports of bath salts use last winter in Penobscot County. He said use appeared isolated to the area between Bangor and the northern part of the county, but it soon spread north to Aroostook County and west to the coast. In recent months, law enforcement officials have reported bath salts as far south as the Midcoast and Augusta.

Though bath salts have not been seen for sale in southern Maine, local police say they are preparing for it to appear in Cumberland and York counties.

“We expect it will make its way to the Biddeford-Saco area,” said Saco Police Chief Bradley Paul. 

Law enforcement officials say they are particularly concerned about bath salts because of the dangerous side effects and behavior of people under the drug’s influence.

“It’s a drug that really affects people. They become paranoid. They just totally lose it,” Morris said. “It lasts for days, for a long, long time.”

Sgt. Paul Edwards of the Bangor Police Department said they first starting getting calls related to bath salts in late winter. The first call was a woman pulled over for suspicion of operating under the influence.

When an officer approached the car, the driver was so contorted she was sitting on the headrest of her seat, Edwards said. The woman was unable to control her motor function and couldn’t focus, he said. The arrest took three hours and was exhausting for officers because the woman “just wouldn’t stop,” he said.

Edwards said other people under the influence of bath salts have been found licking the dirt in the breakdown lane of the highway, trying to bury themselves to escape imaginary people chasing them, eating imaginary items off the ground and searching cemeteries for spiders.

Bath salts contain manmade chemicals such as mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, or MDPV. The chemicals are synthetic derivatives of cathinone, a central nervous system stimulant found in the khat plant.

Law enforcement officials believe the stimulant chemicals are manufactured in China and India and packed for wholesale distribution in Eastern Europe, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

McKinney said a medical professional told him the drug mimics the high from drugs such as cocaine, but causes behavior similar to PCP. People who take bath salts experience symptoms such as aggression, paranoia, elevated heart rate and hallucinations. In one case, a person who used bath salts punched a stranger in the head, he said.

Edwards said users often tell police they took bath salts, admissions officers rarely hear from people who take other drugs.

“People are scared. They’re paranoid,” he said. “We’re just afraid it’s going to worsen.”

Lt. Tom Reagan of the Bangor Police Department, in response to the increase of bath salts in Penobscot County, created an educational presentation for other agencies. The department also is meeting with local health care providers and emergency room personnel to gather more information about the drug and its effects, Edwards said.

Paul, the police chief in Saco, said he began showing the presentation to officers last week.

“It brings them up to speed on what (bath salts) are and what appearance they take,” he said. “It has the potential to be a big problem for us if we don’t get in front of it.”

Paul said he is not aware of any businesses in Saco that sell the drug, though it is still available on the Internet. He said it “never fails to amaze me” what people will ingest without knowledge of the ingredients.

“It’s unfortunate as back yard chemists come up with things they seem to show up in smaller towns,” he said.

Officers from Biddeford also watched the presentation from Bangor police and Police Chief Roger Beaupre expects to provide his officers further training about the drug. Deputy Chief JoAnne Fisk said she doesn’t know of any places in Biddeford that sell bath salts and police have not seen the drug in the city. She said officers are prepared to deal with the drug.

“I’m sure it’s coming,” she said.

South Portland Police Sgt. Steve Webster said city police have yet to experience people under the influence of bath salts, but are taking a proactive approach. A few days after LePage signed the emergency legislation officers went to every store in the city that might sell bath salts, he said.

Webster said officers provided store owners copies of the new law and a photo of bath salts.

“They were all extremely cooperative and none were selling,” he said. “We try to stay ahead of the curve as much as possible.”

Commissioner Morris said the legislation is the first step in fighting bath salts in Maine. He said law enforcement officials continue to monitor its use across the state. He said there may be a push to make possession a felony.

Law enforcement officials agree education is a key component to stop the spread of the drug across the state. Edwards said his department’s presentation is available for other groups to use and he encourages people to educate themselves about the dangers of bath salts.

“That is the absolute key,” he said. “People have got to realize this is going to kill them.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.