Medical experts warn of synthetic drug dangers - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Medical experts warn of synthetic drug dangers

The American College of Emergency Physicians is publicizing the dangers of synthetic drugs, running two reports in the online journal Annals of Emergency Medicine describing intensive care unit and emergency room incidents involving patients using mephedrone, nicknamed “bath salts,” and methoxetamine, also known as “Kmax” and “Mexxy.”

Until the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a one-year ban on mephedrone and two related synthetic cathinones on Oct. 21, bath salts were available at many tobacco shops and gas stations, and still can be bought on the Internet.

Kmax or Mexxy is sold as a “research chemical” on the Internet.

The Defense Department has launched a major effort to alert service members to the dangers of designer drugs, including the synthetic cannabinoid known as spice. DoD released a video in 2011 on the dangers of inhaling bath salts and has launched an aggressive marketing campaign against spice.

“Taking spice is comparable to playing Russian roulette with both your mental and physical health as well as your career,” Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan wrote Monday in a blog post.

Mephedrone has not been a huge concern to the military because, unlike spice, it can be detected during a routine drug screening.

But at least one Marine who died had the substance in his system, according to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner’s office.

Emergency rooms are seeing an upswing in cases involving designer drugs.

One journal article catalogues the case of a 41-year-old patient who developed a potentially deadly reaction to bath salts and was in an intensive care unit for 12 days.

Another details the first published emergency-room case of a patient who injected methoxetamine, a recreational drug similar to the tranquilizer ketamine.

“The frightening thing is that [the bath salts patient] was able to buy these drugs, marketed as a novelty item called Blue Magic bath salts, from behind the counter at a gas station,” said lead study author Dr. Josh Mugele of the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Designer drugs have been a concern for DoD since they first emerged in Europe in 2008.

Last year, 497 airmen were punished for spice use, 700 Marines and sailors were investigated for it and 119 soldiers received medical treatment after smoking it, according to Pentagon figures provided to The Associated Press.

The Pentagon is working to develop drug tests to detect these currently untraceable substances.

Meanwhile, commanders do not need a positive urinalysis result to begin administrative separation for sellers and users.

Links to the journal article abstracts are online.