Last updated : December 16, 2024
With the onslaught of designer drugs, employers now have yet another minefield to navigate as more people turn to these lab-created versions that they believe are “safer” alternatives to street drugs. The American Association of Poison Control makes annual reports on alarming trends and one was phone calls regarding the use of synthetic drugs. In 2010, they received 2,906 calls regarding contact with synthetic cannabinoids and 6,969 calls in 2011 – nearly double the 2010 figure! The statistics on the “bath salts” calls were even more alarming as there were only 304 calls in 2010 and then 6,138 in 2011 which is a huge twenty-fold increase!
Business owners may be wondering what the government is doing to stop the sale and access to these types of drugs. The answer is that they are legislating as quickly as they can, but keeping up with formulation changes is difficult. President Obama signed a federal law banning 31 specific synthetic drug compounds on July 9th, 2012. Following in the federal government’s footsteps most states have enacted laws banning synthetic cannabinoids and “bath salts” a.k.a. synthetic cathinones.So, what exactly are these drugs and how are people obtaining them if they are largely illegal? These designer drugs are largely divided into two categories – synthetic marijuana and “bath salts” which are synthetic stimulants. Synthetic marijuana is made up of various types of herbal blends but has a highly concentrated chemically produced synthetic cannabinoid component sprayed onto the herbs. It is usually sold as “incense” or “potpourri” and common names are K2 and Spice. Users of this drug smoke it. There can be many unintended effects from its use including hallucinations, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis. Emergency room visits for racing heart beats, anxiety and elevated blood pressure are common and death has even occurred. The synthetic product is 5x more potent than the natural form of marijuana as it fully binds to the THC receptors, leading to the possibility of overdose toxicity. Then there are the “bath salts” which if sold in a package the size of wet wipe, are certainly not for the bath! These are frequently sold under dreamy names like Vanilla Sky, Stardust or Ivory Wave and labeled as anything from “bath salts” to “insect repellant” or even “stain remover” in an attempt to get around laws. They will always say “not for human consumption” but drug users will either ingest or snort the drug to obtain the amphetamine-like high. But often that high is followed with awful side effects like agitation, hallucinations, paranoia, increased heart rate and body temperature, chest pain and when the high wears off, attempts at suicide.
If you notice an employee displaying erratic behavior that seems out of character and which includes many of the above signs, it would be wise seek emergency treatment for them immediately. If you notice significant increase in absenteeism without a valid medical excuse and it is coupled with poor performance and some erratic behavior, then synthetic drugs could be playing a role in off hours. Conducting pre-employment drug screening and including synthetic drugs in the panel will help to reduce this. Also, having random drug tests that include synthetic drug tests can discover individuals that may have a problem with drug use. An employee using these drugs is not only less productive, but a danger to themselves and the other employees.
