title: Bath salts and other emerging toxins.
abstract: Novel classes of synthetic drugs, including synthetic cathinones ("bath salts") and synthetic cannabinoids ("spice" or "K2"), have recently emerged as popular drugs of abuse. Salvia divinorum, a naturally occurring herb, has gained popularity in the last decade as a hallucinogenic as well. The legal status of these substances has been undergoing rapid changes and has been confusing to lawmakers and medical practitioners alike. We present an up-to-date information about the legality of these substances. We also discuss the historical background, chemical composition, patterns of abuse, clinical presentations, laboratory analysis, and management strategies for these drugs, with an emphasis on synthetic cathinones.
authors.affiliation: Physicians (Thornton and Baum), the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: Carl R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Baum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000737:chemistry*; D002648:Child; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000737:chemistry*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000737:chemistry*; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D011039:Poison Control Centers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D015995:Prevalence; D012492:Salts / Q000032:analysis*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D015198:Designer Drugs; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D012492:Salts