Ohio Officials Say `Bath Salts` Cases Decreasing

Aug. 17--"Bath salts" have been blamed in horrifying and bizarre cases involving cannibalism, people eating family pets and, in some instances, lead to the death of users.

But, law enforcement and health officials, are optimistic state and national bans on the hallucinogenic substances have stopped an increase in cases involving the drugs.

The use of the dangerous drugs emerged two years ago and alarmed medical professionals so much the American Association of Poison Control Centers began tracking cases. There were only 304 reported cases in 2010 but that number rocketed to 6,138 in 2011. As of June 30, there were 1,717 cases reported nationally, which is less than half the number of cases reported over the same time frame last year.

Dr. Rob Goetz, a clinical toxicologist and senior poison information specialist at the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Center, said his center reached out to all the local hospitals in May 2011 asking them to notify the center every time they got a suspected bath salts case. Butler County hasn't had any case this year compared to 11 in 2011. Warren County dropped from 20 cases in 2011 to three this year.

Law enforcement officials remain cautious, saying they are still finding the synthetic drugs, which are made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants.

The drugs are often sold at small, independent stores in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food. Law enforcement officials refer to the drugs collectively as "bath salts," though they have nothing in common with the fragrant toiletries used to moisturize skin.

The Warren County drug task force busted an alleged major "bath salts" ring in Mason earlier this year, hauling in 17,140 packages of bath salts with a street value of $685,500.

Misty Davis and Eli Ohayon allegedly got the ingredients for their bath salts operation from China, then packaged them and distributed them to their sales force, according to police.

The defendants claim to have a lab report that clears their product, but Prosecutor David Fornshell said the Miami Valley Crime Lab -- which has had to go to great lengths in testing the relatively new substances -- disagrees.

"It's been a process working through this, because it's obviously a new statute and it's a fairly complicated statute," he said. "We're kind of working through the issues as far as what it is that needs to be contained in the indictment."

Not every person goes to the hospital when they are high on the drugs, but in police reports examined by this newspaper, in nearly every instance the person was taken to the emergency room.

Some of the cases showed:

--- A young Middletown man was sitting on the floor for several days hallucinating, seeing things on the floor that weren't there and talking about space ships.

--- Another Middletown man shot up his back door and wall and boarded the room up. He was paranoid that his neighbors were coming in his house.

--- A Middletown man cut his wife's throat with a pocket knife.

--- One woman, who asked not to be identified, called police after her former boyfriend kept her up all night slamming the front and back doors on the house every 10 to 15 minutes. .

"It becomes devastating because someone you know, it turns them into a person you don't recognize anymore," she said. "Someone who is confident and caring and responsible, in that situation he turned into someone I didn't even recognize."

Goetz said these bizarre behaviors -- many people like the Florida face-chewer strip naked because their body temperature spikes -- may be why the number of cases has fallen off.

"People are trying these things and I don't really think it was a pleasant experience for a lot of people...," he said. "I think they (bath salts) were getting a bad reputation in the community of drug abusers, so people are starting to shy away from them. There is no telling what would happen to you."

Out of 13 cases in Middletown where bath salts may have been involved, only three people were charged, one with disorderly conduct, one plead guilty to obstructing official business and the pocket knife wielding man was charged with domestic violence. That same man a month later was charged with violating a protection order and abusing harmful intoxicants, namely bath salts.

In three cases in Fairfield this year, one person was charged with disorderly conduct, another with operating a vehicle while intoxicated or on drugs and after lab tests were returned in a third case, the substance tested was not illegal.

Middletown Police Lt. Scott Reeve said there are numerous reasons why they wouldn't arrest someone for possessing bath salts.

"We have many cases of overdose, suicidal actions, or mental breakdowns exacerbated by drug abuse that we do not criminally charge," he said. "We don't want people to be afraid to report emergency medical conditions because they are concerned we will be making arrests. Generally we collect evidence of what happened to aid medical personnel in the treatment of the patient."

Dr. Ralph Talker, director of emergency services at Atrium Medical Center, said people with bath salts symptoms they are typically very paranoid, anxious, extremely agitated and often hallucinating. He said it usually takes three or four hours to bring them back to normal.

Talker also said it is understandable the police don't often charge people with bath salts possession because there are evidentiary issues. There are no tests to detect bath salts.

"There isn't an easy way to do that. I can make a clinical assessment and presumption of what they're on, that's what we do in a lot of medical situations," he said. "We assume what the situation, the diagnosis is and make that impression. That's based on probability of what we understand about the patient's clinical condition and how they present. It's not like an alcohol level you can get to see if you're legally intoxicated."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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