Eutylone, a new drug that authorities in Florida describe as a synthetic psychoactive bath salt, has begun to spread across the state. The drug has caused overdose deaths in Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Florida. The overdose deaths linked to eutylone usually involve an adulterant such as fentanyl or cocaine.

Eutylone As A Bait-And-Switch Drug

Eutylone is also known as bk-EBDB or n-ethylbutylone in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. It is a club drug stimulant in the synthetic cathinone family, i.e., a bath salt. The drug belongs to a class of drugs referred to as designer drugs, research chemicals, or bath salts. While it’s a well-known drug on the EDM music scene, it’s often sold deceptively. People don’t realize what they’re taking and believe it to be a more common drug.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has reported that drug dealers falsely marketed Eutylone as MDMA, Ecstacy, or Molly. It’s also been sold as a newer drug under the street names “Red Bull” and “Blue Playboy.” Often, it is adulterated with other narcotic substances, which sometimes turns it deadly. Usually, it is pressed into pills but can also be found as an off-white powder, crystal, and capsules. This also means it can be mis-marketed as many substances. Usually, the drug itself is also adulterated with fentanyl or cocaine.

Eutylone is most available as an off-white powder, but it can also come in crystal, rock, capsule, and tablet forms.

While it’s not known if the drug can be physically addictive, any psychoactive substance has the potential to cause dependence. A person with substance use disorder is more prone to addiction, but the good news is that help is always available.

Damage, Overdoses From Eutylone Adding Up

According to researchers, 343 eutylone-involved deaths took place in 2020 in the United States. About 75% of those deaths occurred in Florida, with the rest in Maryland.

“Eutylone is especially risky to users because it looks nearly identical to other drugs like Ecstasy or Molly but produces a weaker effect, tempting people to take more, and leading to severe adverse effects such as tremors, seizures, or even death,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said during a prominent arrest and seizure of the drug in coastal Virginia.