美欲禁新型毒品“浴盐” 可出现食人欲望

A Delaware senator praised pending legislation proposing a nationwide ban on "bath salts," a dangerous synthetic drug that's on the rise in the United States and might have led to the recent attack in Miami where a man allegedly ate off 80 percent of a homeless man's face.

"Dangerous drugs like bath salts are terrorizing our communities and destroying lives," Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said in a statement Monday. "Stricter measures must be taken to stem the growing prevalence of bath salts and other new designer drugs."

The number of calls to poison centers concerning "bath salts" rose 6,138 in 2011 from 304 in 2010, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. More than 1,000 calls have been made so far this year.

These so-called bath salts, not to be confused with cleansing products, are an inexpensive, synthetic, super-charged form of speed. The drug consists of a potpourri of constantly changing chemicals, three of which -- mephedrone, MDPV and methylone -- were banned last year by the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

Bath salts are still easily available online, though, and come in brand names such as "Purple Wave," "Zoom" or "Cloud Nine." A 50-milligram packet sells for $25 to $50.

The drugs create a condition police have come to call an "excited delirium" that makes users paranoid, violent and unpredictable. Miami police last month shot and killed a man who was allegedly feasting on the face of another homeless man in a daylight attack on a busy highway.

Police are investigating whether the drugs found in bath salts were in the alleged attacker's system. This case is not the first time police have had to respond to people high on the drug committing illegal acts or exhibiting dangerous behavior.

In most cases, the active ingredient found in bath salts is a chemical known as MDPV. As far as the effects they have, bath salts are a central nervous system stimulant that acts something like a mix of methamphetamine and cocaine. They dramatically increase the dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the human brain in two dangerous ways.

It's a dangerous situation, leading to a high that some drug abuse experts describe as up to 13 times more potent than cocaine. The altered mental status it brings can lead to panic attacks, agitation, paranoia, hallucinations and violent behavior.

一名特拉华州参议员称将推动在全美范围内禁止毒品“浴盐”的立法行动。这种危险的合成毒品的使用在美国呈上升趋势，而且可能是导致近日迈阿密“啃脸案”的罪魁祸首。在这起案件中，罪犯咬掉了另一名流浪汉面部的80%。

民主党参议员克里斯-库恩斯本周一在声明中说，“像‘浴盐’这类危险毒品正在威胁我们的社区并摧毁生命。我们必须采取更严格的措施，以遏止日益盛行的‘浴盐’及其它新型致幻药。”

根据美国毒物控制中心协会的数据，有关“浴盐”的咨询求助电话已由2010年的304个上升至2011年的6138个。迄今为止今年也已超过1000个。

这些所谓的“浴盐”与清洁产品不同，是一种合成的超级加倍脱氧麻黄碱，费用低廉。“浴盐”含有不断变化的化学混合物，其中三种成分（甲氧麻黄酮、摇头丸、亚甲基双氧甲基卡西酮）去年已被美国缉毒署禁止。

但是“浴盐”仍然可以轻易在网上买到，而且被冠以“紫色浪潮”、“热情|”、或者“极乐心境”等名称。一包重量为50毫克的“浴盐”售价为25美元至50美元。

警方称，这种药物会造成一种“极度精神错乱”的情况，使用者会出现妄想狂、暴力和难以预料行为。迈阿密警方上月开枪打死了一名男子。据称他白天在繁忙的高速公路上攻击并啃掉一名流浪汉近80%的面部。

警方正在调查，“浴盐”中含有的毒品是否出现在犯罪者的体内。这已经不是警方首次发现热衷于“浴盐”的人犯罪或者表现出危险行为了。

在大多数案件中，“浴盐”中发现的活性成份是一种被称为“摇头丸”的化学物质。就效果来说，“浴盐”是一种中枢神经系统的兴奋剂，功能犹如脱氧麻黄碱和可卡因的混合物，可以通过两种危险的方式极大提高人大脑中的多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素水平。

服用后的情况很危险，毒品专家形容其兴奋功能比可卡因强13倍。而其带来的精神状态改变，可能会导致恐慌发作、躁动、偏执、幻觉和暴力行为。