Overview
“Bath salts” actually have nothing to do with baths. They refer to a class of stimulants called synthetic cathinones derived from the khat shrub that grows in East Africa and southern Arabia. Manfacturers that were intending to evade drug enforcement laws disingenuously marketed their products as “bath salts” so that they could argue they were never intended for consumption. Some cathinones have been approved as medication, such as bupropion which you might recognize as Wellbutrin, which can treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and nicotine cravings. Ongoing research is attempting to see if bupropion can address stimulant use disorder too.