UPDATE: Ronald Poppo At Risk of Infection from Rudy Eugene's Mouth; Attended Prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York

Bath salts are being blamed for the vicious behavior acted out by cannibal Rudy Eugene off a Miami highway on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The name sounds like a harmless household product, but it has no relation to actual bath salts - it is not the Epsom salts that we put in our baths for a relaxing soak.


Bath salts is a street name for a drug containing mephedrone or methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and can be snorted, ingested or injected.  The effect of bath salts are comparable to LSD, cocaine and amphetamine. However, the effects of bath salt itself is described as being highly dangerous, with one physician saying that it is like cocaine times ten.


Dr. Heidi-Marie Farinholt, a physician in Canada, told CBC News: "You basically take cocaine and multiply it by a factor of 10 and you have this."  She also told CBC last week that bath salts are among the worst when it comes to violence and drugs. "I have to say this drug scares me more than any of that ever did."


Last year, the drug was made illegal in the States. Florida has banned bath salts, but they can still be easily attained online or at certain adult bookstores under names such as White China, Lady Bubbles, Vanilla Sky and Ivory Wave.


Symptoms that appear after taking the drug can be highly dangerous. It leads to hallucinations, body overheating, anxiety, paranoia, becoming delusional, heart attacks, extreme aggression, and even death. Bath salt users may also experience losing touch with reality, leading to psychotic behavior.


It is likely that Rudy Eugene took this drug in large amounts, causing his body to overheat, which explains why he was naked when he attacked the poor homeless man who was just sleeping under the Miami highway. Despite repeated orders from a police officer to stop eating the man, he simply growled at him like an animal and continued to savagely attack his victim.


Statistics say bath salts is on the rise in the States, due to the fact that it can be obtained fairly easily. We have seen one horrific psychotic behavior believed to have been caused by bath salts (or some other type of drug) which drove Eugene to hunt and kill like a beast. But is this just the beginning? Will more bath salt attacks emerge, bringing on the true fear of the zombie apocalypse in America?

Tags: cannibal bath salts zombie