Community Corner

Will the Ban on Bath Salts Stop Zombie Attacks?

Pennsylvania has banned bath salts, a possible culprit in the gruesome 'Causeway Cannibal' attack in Miami.

If you’ve ever seen the film Zombieland (and you should. It’s a pretty rad movie) then you know the character Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg, has all kinds of rules in place to survive zombie attacks.

The musts include “Beware of bathrooms” and “Check the backseat.” If a sequel to Zombieland is ever made, the film’s writers may want to add, “avoid bath salts” to the list.

Pennsylvanians already have.

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It's been almost a year since Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill banning bath salts in the state. A description of the drug known as "bath salts" can be found in this WebMD article.

Authorities blame the substance for some cases of violent and bizarre behavior and speculate that bath salts may be the drug that led a Florida man to attack a homeless man on Miami's busy MacArthur Causeway, strip off his clothes and chew the victim's face off. 

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Police shot and killed Rudy Eugene, 31, after he growled at them while refusing to stop his vicious assault on Ronald Poppo, 65. Bath salts have been called the "new LSD" and can inspire powerful feelings of invincibility, according to this report about bath salts and the Miami cannibal case.

Officials and the general public need to look past the headlines about zombies and cannibalism and consider the fact that Florida is one of the worst states in the country when it comes to funding mental health services, says columnist Subhash Kateel.

If the "Causeway Cannibal" story isn't ghoulish enough, a Maryland student has now admitted to eating his roommate's brain and heart. There's been no word yet on a motive in that fatal attack.

Bath salts—which can affect users the same as cocaine, LSD and methamphetamines—have been banned in Pennsylvania since August. The success of the ban depends on who you ask. Drug treatment officials say bath salts are still pretty easy to get via the Internet and head shops.

Suspected bath salts cases in Pennsylvania include:

  • A man who broke into a house because he was "being chased by electricity."
  • A man who set fire to his girlfriend's apartment and attacked firefighters when they arrived.
  • A man who assaulted a state trooper and didn't seem affected when a stun gun was used on him.

So tell us what you think. Do you think a ban on bath salts can prevent zombie attacks? Will you ever look at a bath (or bath salts) the same way?

Cranberry Patch Editor Jessica Sinichak contributed to this article.


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