Cloud Nine, Bath Salt Drug, Gets You High But Can Also Land You In The Hospital
Also known as “Hookah Relax,” a drug known by the name of Cloud Nine has hospitalized several high schoolers in Michigan after causing them to fall ill. Though this type of drug — or category of drugs, rather — has been around for some time now, police are still trying to figure out how to track it down and what exactly it’s made of.
Last month, counties in Michigan banned the synthetic drug after it led to several dozen hospitalizations. Though reports note that the drug has contributed to some 20 hospital visits, nothing shows that the drug is actually fatal. Aside from some police reports and vague descriptions on the Internet, not much reported information is out there about the drug. In fact, it appears that no one quite knows what Cloud Nine is — or what’s in it. This is probably why the media and police claim it’s extremely dangerous — and possibly why you just shouldn’t try it.
Two high school students, aged 16 and 17, were taken to the hospital after they either inhaled the drug (through an e-cigarette or hookah pen) or ingested it. Parents of kids who have reportedly gotten hooked on the drug claim they behaved with extreme paranoia, stopped eating and lost weight.
Cloud Nine may also be referred to as Ivory Wave, which is made from bath salts. This is nothing new, but just a new strain of drug per se that is pretty hard to track and stop.
“It comes in a liquid form,” Todd Adams, Westland Deputy Police Chief, told the Detroit Free Press. “They smoke it, put it into pop and ingest it or put it on marijuana to smoke it, use an e-cigarette or they could use a hookah. It causes crazy hallucinations and violent outbursts.” Adams explained that it could cause paranoia, hallucinations, chest pain, abnormally high heart rate and high blood pressure, and even suicidal behavior. He added, “It’s hard to crack down on it.” This is mostly because those mixing or selling the drugs can add or remove chemicals, changing the chemical compound of the drug and giving it a new name. “This causes problems for the police and prosecutors and makes it difficult to take enforcement action.”