Substance Abuse Treatment: Spice and Bath Salt Addiction—So What's Next?

Abstract

Synthetic drugs such as Spice and bath salts have been around since the late 1990s, and their use has become widespread around the world. Extensive research into the effects of these drugs is lacking, and health care providers struggle to deal with the increased numbers of patients intoxicated on these substances. Because these drugs are usually labeled “not for human consumption,” it has been difficult to curb them through legal efforts. The fact that these synthetic drugs are continually being revised further complicates the issue. In order to treat individuals effectively, more research must be done, and providers must be educated about the best methods to treat this epidemic of Spice and bath salt users.

Keywords::

• Bath salts
• synthetic drugs
• Spice
• substance treatment
• DEA