The Bath Salt Crisis: how laced MDMA is ruining the vibe

CW: This article discusses drug use

We all saw the infographics and the headlines circulating about the increased number of bath salts being sold as MDMA during festival season. Cosmic sold out of their testing kits and some desperate people thought it better to blindly trust the word of their plug, rather than heed the warnings by some of NZ’s biggest drug testing advocates.  

MDMA is, in all honesty, a really incredible drug. Comedowns aside, it’s a student go-to for horny sex, declarations of love and dancing for hours on end. But recently students are increasingly finding themselves fucked over, thanks to an rise in dodgy, mixed products. After taking what they thought was MDMA, they find themselves bathing in the saltiest salt, which felt nothing like any gear they’d had before. Has it deterred them from doing drugs? Mostly not, but they tell Massive what went down, and it does not sound nice.  

Over the summer Holly*, a third year Massey Student, sussed from someone she wouldn’t buy from normally. She didn’t test it but felt pretty confident that the guy (let's call him Mr. Bath Salts) was legit. Initially, she didn’t notice any difference in the ‘gear’ she took that night. “I thought I was just having a regular gear experience, I was super talkative, awake, happy and having euphoric type feelings. Then shit hit the fan and I started acting completely out of it,” she tells Massive.  

By the sounds of it, she had a fucking rollercoaster of a time. “I remember speaking complete gibberish and having these manic emotional spells where I’d go from being super aggressive, to anxious and upset, and then I’d be uncontrollably laughing.”  

Luckily Holly was just at home and not in an unfamiliar environment, her friends helped her into bed. But when they came back to check on her, what they saw was fucking nightmare fuel. “When they came back they found me talking to myself, which went on for two hours. I thought I was talking to multiple friends but really I was in a dark room alone and sounding like a goldfish stuck in a loop. My friend kept having to shake me out of my trance and remind me there was no one there. I don’t remember much, but I was definitely hallucinating a tad.” When asked what the best part of the experience was, she told Massive, “well at least it wasn’t meth I suppose”. Good call Holly, good call.  

The conversation around bath salts saw a lot of people refer to it as ‘dodgy gear’. “Calling it dodgy gear is an insult to gear. After my salty experience it’s definitely something I’m super cautious about and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone.”  

Mark* accidentally took bath salts in 2020 and calls the experience “one of the worst nights of my life. I literally wanted to claw my own eyeballs out, I had to be restrained by friends.” He describes shaking, sweating and even contemplated calling 111. “The shit thing is, you take gear in a social setting. My friends were all drunk or high, and they weren’t in the proper state to help. I was at a club when it kicked in, and suddenly the music and the lights were overwhelming. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but I was so far from home and had no idea how to get back.” Another student, Claire* said she started “uncontrollably vomiting” for hours on end. “I can’t even describe how terrible it felt. My heart was racing a million times per minute. It was like an anxiety attack on weed, but ten times worse than anything I’d ever felt before.” She had brought the gear from a stranger at a party, and regrets not testing it. “I was drunk and reckless, and testing just seemed like too big a hassle.”  

Many students have no idea that they’re even taking bath salts, and admits it’s not a consideration they factor into their drug use. Holly says, “When I first started taking gear, I was pretty naive and didn’t have much knowledge about it other than the fact that I really enjoyed taking it. So I definitely wasn’t testing anything, and I didn’t know that bath salts were often intentionally sold as gear. So in that regard, I was just kind of dumb.”  

Holly has since made sure to not suss from that same guy again. “Mr. Bath Salts and I have ended our entanglement. Thankfully, I found someone who doesn’t overseason my gear.” Both Mark and Claire have also stopped purchasing from their fated dealers, with Claire swearing off gear altogether. “I’d never had a problem with MD before, but now I’m even scared to take anything. It just completely ruined it for me. The vibe is off.”  

Next time you’re in charge of sussing for your friends, make sure you have a vague idea of what it is you’re buying. Perhaps as a deterrent you can imagine all your mates sitting in a dark room having passionate conversations with absolutely no one. Those poor souls. Test your shit, steer clear of the Mr. Bath Salts. Cut off the toxic people in your life, you know the drill. 

If the content of this article affected you in any way, don’t be afraid to reach out to these support numbers:

Alcohol/Drug Helpline: 0800 787 797

Healthline: 0800 611 116

Lifeline: 0800 543 345 or (09) 522 2999