Pubdate: Fri, 23 Sep 2011 Source: Telegraph-Journal (Saint John, CN NK) Copyright: 2011 Brunswick News Inc. Contact: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/onsite.php?page=contact Website: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2878 Author: April Cunningham, Telegraph-Journal DANGEROUS DRUG COULD BE HEADING NORTH SAINT JOHN - A dangerous new hallucinogenic drug is causing more criminal problems in Bangor, Maine than any of the other illegal drugs combined, Bangor police say. And the drug - called "bath salts" - could easily make the roughly three-hour trek across the border to Saint John, Ron Gastia, Bangor's police chief said. "This is the worst drug we have seen here in my career," said Gastia, who has 29 years of experience. "This is my primary focus right now. Officers are out there responding to these calls and I fear my officers will be in a position of kill or be killed, or another member of the public will be hurt." There's no evidence the drug - which is similar to methamphetamine, but even more addictive and unpredictable - is on Saint John streets, said Saint John Police Force Chief Bill Reid. But that doesn't mean it won't migrate here soon. "We're only a border away. I suspect it may be in some communities. Maybe it's already there," he said. Police have also warned Saint John school principals to watch out for the dangerous drug. The drug resembles bath salts but is only called that because of its innocent name, Gastia said. Instead, it creates delusions, extreme paranoia, hallucinations and psychosis. The drug has also be known to induce suicidal thoughts. The synthetic substance is made of mephedrone or MDPV, and the powder is snorted, injected, smoked or eaten. "The effect of these drugs on these people is very unpredictable," Gastia said. But users act in bizarre ways because they feel as if they need to protect themselves. Last week, a man locked himself in a store bathroom in Bangor, causing thousands of dollars in damage, tearing the ceiling apart and tearing sinks off the walls. He believed people were hiding in the ceiling. Another man left his house carrying an assault rifle because he thought people were climbing out of his mattress to kill him, Gastia said. The Bangor police also recently had a four-hour standoff as a man hung off a bridge, taking his clothes off. The incident was filmed and posted to YouTube.com. Gastia fears police officers will be hurt in the crossfire. One officer was recently attacked when he stepped out of his vehicle by someone high on bath salts. Bath salts is now illegal in Maine and 31 other states, but it isn't illegal under federal U.S. law. It is readily available on the Internet and in some stores. The stimulants are sold in powder form under various brand names, in containers labelled "not for human consumption." Currently, someone possessing bath salts is charged a $350 fine. If the federal law passes in emergency legislation next week, Bangor police will be able to send someone to jail, but only after they have been cleared medically. "It could take hours or it could take days," Gastia said. "That, I don't anticipate, will change." The hospitals and police officers are overwhelmed by the drug, which surfaced in January, Gastia said. "I have a staff meeting every morning and the first thing we hear is what did we have the day before with bath salt issues," he said. "We don't have cocaine, meth or heroin issues every day, but we do have incidents with bath salts every day." Marijke Blok, principal at Saint John High School, said she has limited information on bath salts, but mostly gleans information on new drugs from her students. It seems marijuana and prescription pills remain the biggest problem drugs for high school students, she said. At Simonds High School, principal Gary Keating said if the drug made its way to Saint John, the students would be educated on its dangers and effects. "As a parent and as a principal, it's scary," he said. "We worry about them constantly. They make naive mistakes." In Bangor, bath salts is mostly used by people in their 20s and 30s who are typically known drug users, Gastia said. Instead of using heroin or methamphetamine, they opt for bath salts because up until recently, it was legal, cheap and there were very few deterrents, he said. But just last week, police arrested a 19-year-old who had been using bath salts, and it's expected to migrate to younger age groups. He urges parents to be proactive and talk about the drugs with their children. "Now is the time to be doing this," he said. "This should get people's attention. They should listen." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.