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News you really do need to know

by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 5, 2012 11:46 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 5, 2012 11:46 AM ET

Bath Salts and Poppy Seed Tea. The names are so innocuous. They conjure up images of what your grandmother might prescribe if you have a touch of the flu.

But in reality they are dangerous and potentially fatal street drugs.

My colleague Stephen Puddicombe was one of the first Canadian journalists to raise the flag about the arrival of Bath Salts in Canada. He spoke with police and health officials in northern Nova Scotia who are now seeing two or three cases a week at the local hospital. Doctors describe the designer drug as "cocaine multiplied by a factor of 10." Much like OxyContin (aka Hillbilly Heroin) the drug is becoming popular in rural areas.

The scary thing about this drug is not just the symptoms users experience right away - everything from delusions, psychosis and very aggressive behaviour - but the fact these symptoms can suddenly show up again days later.

On Tuesday, the federal government reacted to news of the drug's growing popularity by declaring it will make methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), the key ingredient in Bath Salts, illegal. A positive step but one that's not likely to make the drug disappear from our towns and communities.

The other new drug you may not have heard of is Poppy Seed Tea.

This week Darrell and Tania Marchand of Tantallon met with reporters to say their 19 year old son Cole, died of a morphine overdose after drinking the tea. Cole had ordered the poppy seed pod, which contains opiates, from China. People grind the seed from the pod and turn it into tea.

In the midst of their grief the Marchands went public to warn other parents. They know if their son knew about the drug, and how to get it, other Nova Scotia teenagers must know about it, too.

If you're a parent and you don't know much about Bath Salts or Poppy Seed Tea, take a few minutes to view and read the stories on our website.

This really is news you need to know.

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About the Author

Brian DuBreuil is a veteran journalist with CBC News. He has won two Gemini awards for his work, and neither involved dancing or singing on a reality show.

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