Bath salts PSA released by U.S. Navy aims to frighten
A recently released public service announcement aims to show how terrifying taking "bath salts" can be.
The PSA comes from Navy Medicine, which last year released an ad to deter service members from using synthetic marijuana.
Bath salts are a class of designer drugs that contain chemical stimulants that affect the central nervous system, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. They are often sold in powder form under various brand names over the Internet, in convenience stores and smoke shops. Potential side effects include reports of agitation, insomnia, irritability, depression, paranoia, delusions, suicidal thoughts, seizures and panic attacks.
The DEA banned bath salts in 2011 by designating three synthetic chemicals used to make bath salts as controlled substances.
Bath salts have also made headlines in recent years when linked to aggressive violent crimes and cannibalistic behavior, the latter eventually debunked for one high-profile case.
Navy Medicine psychiatry resident Lt. George Loeffler, who works at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, says in the PSA that he's seen the effects of bath salts on service members firsthand.
"I would say not just as the naval officer, but as your doctor, bath salts will not only jack up your family and your career, it will jack up your mind and body too," he says.
The Navy has a zero tolerance policy on designer drug use, Valeria A. Kremer, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs said in a statement last month about the PSA.
The new campaign's tagline is "Bath salts: It's not a fad...It's a nightmare;" watch below:
