CLARENDON, Vt. -
The state's chief medical examiner found that drugs known as bath salts are responsible for killing 28-year-old Christopher Tsacoyeanes last month in Clarendon.
That was before the state enacted an emergency law to help stop the sale of these drugs in Vermont.
"It is a stimulant that causes very bad side effects like hallucinations, paranoia, suicidal behavior, seizures and death. We believe this one represents our first bath salt death," says state Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen.
Dr. Chen says synthetic drugs are not new to Vermont, but drug producers have found a way to keep this type on store shelves in some states even after laws were enacted on the state and federal levels to ban them.
"Obviously the attractive thing is you can walk in a head shop and buy it, go online and buy it. It is really marketed to teenagers so that is what worries me the most," Chen says.
State Police Commissioner Keith Flynn says national studies show high school juniors and seniors are the largest market for these now-deadly drugs.
In July, Governor Shumlin took emergency action, banning 86 chemical substances found in these ever changing concoctions, and state and local police have been cracking down on the suppliers. But Flynn says enforcement must be paired with education to see any significant change in use.
"There may be some misconception out there that If it's packaged, or has some type of authenticity on it then it's safe. That couldn't be further from the truth," Flynn says.
While some say the neon packaging may make the drug look harmless, state health officials say it is just as dangerous as some of the most notorious street drugs.
"Since we do not know what half of them are, and they change from day to day it certainly can be as bad if not worse than methamphetamines," Dr. Chen says.
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