Top expert on effects of bath salts, synthetic marijuana urges tougher regulation

Florida International University boasts a leading expert in the effects of synthetic drugs, including cannabinoids and bath salts, also sold as Cloud 9. 

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Professor and Department of Psychiatry Chair Dr. Daniel Castellanos led the first-of-its-kind study examining the effects on the brain of synthetic marijuana, also known as K2 or Spice. 

Recently, Castellanos and his colleagues published the first case series of adolescents who abused synthetic cannabis, documenting the effects of these drugs on 11 teenagers ages 15 to 19. Although all of the teens reported signs of euphoria, the use of these products was associated with anxiety and other negative mood changes not typical of marijuana intoxication. Castellanos concluded that using the synthetic cannabis was directly related to the use of other drugs.

This week, Miami-Dade County commissioners gave preliminary approval to banning synthetic marijuana, and bath salts have been blamed for the gruesome May 26 attack of a homeless man in Miami.

“Bath salts and synthetic cannabis are a relatively new trend in the recreational drug market,” he said. “These drugs are able to produce severe intoxication, psychosis and even death. Policymakers should view these disturbing trends as a consumer protection, health and drug control issue.”