MORE SUPPLIERS BUSTED IN BATH SALTS CRACKDOWN

Warren County task force is investigating a large supplier
operation.

Sixteen area deaths since March have been linked to bath salts and
area law enforcement and medical officials say the designer drug
remains a problem in the region despite a statewide ban that went into
effect in October.

The fatalities included nine overdoses from bath salts or from bath
salts in conjunction with other drugs; five accidental deaths; and two
suicides, said Laureen Marinetti, chief forensic toxicologist for the
Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory. The most recent death case was
from November, after the state ban went into effect, she said.

"We're hoping this problem calms down, but so far we are not seeing a
big sign of that yet," Marinetti said.

The regional crime lab, which has also seen 17 criminal cases related
to the designer drug, is seeing a "large increase" in bath salts
cases, primarily from law enforcement busts of convenience stores
still selling the banned substances, said Brooke Ehlers, a forensic
chemist. "We are getting them from Butler, Warren, Montgomery and
Miami counties," she said.

Warren County officials say they are conducting an investigation into
what they termed "a large operation."

John Burke, head of the Warren County Drug Task Force, said the case
is significant, but would not give other details.

"We uncovered that it was a very significant problem and we have been
working during the last several weeks. The mere term bath salts sounds
so benign and it's really not. I got to see it firsthand - someone
that was high on it - and this investigation has opened my eyes quite
a bit," he said.

The state ban has reduced bath salts' availability, but there are some
instances of users who have either stockpiled the drug or obtained it
through illegal channels, said Brad DeCamp, assistant chief of
treatment and recovery services for the Ohio Department of Alcohol and
Drug Addiction Services.

Recent hospital patients said they purchased bath salts through the
mail or at convenience stores selling them under the table to people
who know a certain password, said Cindy Jennings, a forensic nurse at
Miami Valley Hospital.

"Our communities, just when you look at the numbers in general, they
have a taste for these chemicals," Jennings said.

The designer drug was marketed as "concentrated bath salts" and had
been sold legally at area head shops and convenience stores for about
$20. Bath salts have no legitimate use for bathing and are intended
for substance abuse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

Jennings said the drugs are designed to produce feelings of euphoria
and energy, similar to cocaine.

Bath salts also can cause hallucinations, paranoia, rapid heart rates
and seizures, medical experts said. Users are often violent and out of
control, officials said.

Todd Langmeyer, head of the Butler County drug and vice unit, said
bath salts incidents haven't been as prevalent here as in other
places. He said there have been no suicides tied to the drug, but said
those who have been found on the drugs show disturbing effects.

"People are paranoid and actually have sought out the police on
several occasions because they are thinking that someone is chasing
them and was trying to kill them," he said. "They generally know that
they are going to be found to be under the influence of bath salts and
just readily admit it. It has an effect like no other drugs we have
seen."

The Central Ohio Poison Center saw a "big drop in calls" related to
bath salts after the state ban went into effect Oct. 17, from a peak
of 54 calls in June to four in November, said Dr. Marcel Casavant,
medical director.

"The early indications that we are seeing is that the ban has had a
positive effect and that there is definitely a lesser availability of
the drug," DeCamp said.

The legislation added six chemical derivatives found in bath salts,
including MDPV and methylone, to the state's list of Schedule I
controlled hallucinogenic substances, which include heroin, LSD and
marijuana. The bill also banned five synthetic cannabinoids commonly
know as K2 or Spice.

The area fatalities related to bath salts use have
included:

- - A 29-year-old white male who snorted bath salts, then later hanged
himself.

- - A 39-year-old white male who was known to become manic and
uncontrollable when he used bath salts and was found dead at home with
overturned furniture and broken lamps.

- - A 33-year-old white male who was found dead after two days with
straws and bath salts.

Ehlers said the crime lab has started seeing similar chemical
compounds that have been altered to non-controlled substances in an
attempt to get around the state ban. However, the "controlled
substance analog" piece of the legislation states that any
structurally similar compounds must be treated as Schedule I
controlled substances and carry the same legal penalties.

"They are just moving on to the next compound that is not controlled,"
Marinetti said. Several criminal cases are pending that will be tried
using the analog law, she said.

The analog compounds are still being called bath salts, but the
manufacturers claim they don't contain the banned substances. "We are
doing the tests and we still are getting them containing some of the
controlled bath salts," Ehlers said.

Staff writer Denise G. Callahan contributed to this story.