A doctor in Iowa recently called the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center (ISPCC) to report that someone had overdosed on "shrimp."

That doctor, of course, was not reporting a problem with seafood, but with a new nickname for one of the growing number of synthetic drugs used by Iowans.

Hotline director Linda Kalin said that she had never heard the nickname "shrimp," although her organization does have a 16-page list of other nicknames used for a variety of drugs.

Kalin was one of several speakers Friday during a seminar hosted by the Vinton Police Department. While the morning session was exclusively for law enforcement officers, the afternoon presentations were open to health field workers, educators and others. The audience included Virginia Gay Hospital employees and both VSHS Principal Matt Kingsbury and former principal Kirk Johnson, who made the drive from Waukee west of Des Moines.

Kalin's presentation included a simple definition of synthetic drugs.

She defined them as: "Chemicals created for recreational use to evade drug legislation by modifying molecular structure of existing drugs or by finding new drug classes that will produce effects similar to marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine."

Based on their chemical make-up, these drugs are commonly divided into two categories:

Synthetic Cannabinoids (aka “K2”): Marketed as “fake weed” or “legal marijuana”

Synthetic Cathinones (aka “bath salts”): Marketed as alternative to cocaine, ecstasy, meth

There are several challenges that medical care providers and law enforcement officers face in handling cases of suspected synthetic drug use.

Most of the chemicals do not appear in blood tests, so a doctor can not easily determine what chemical a person has been using. Also, the products are sold as bath salts, and usually labeled "not for human consumption," although both the seller and buyer know that human consumption is the product's intended purpose.

And sometimes, said Kalin, the user does not even know what chemicals are in the bath salts. She said that a Wyoming company has been selling bath salts that have been causing kidney failure among users, but so far lab analysis has not determined what in that product is causing that effect.

Other speakers included Bruce Reeve of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation lab, Assistant Attorney General Pete Grady, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy instructor Kim Wadding and Dale Woolery of the Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy.


VPD seminars

This is the fourth training seminar hosted by the VPD, and organized by Lieutenant Eric Dickinson. Previous sessions have included the topics of the Beslan school terrorist attack; Col. Danny McKnight, who was involved in the Mogadishu incident now known as "Black Hawk Down;" and a tactical training session on how to handle aggressive suspects.

Law enforcement officers and others travel several hours to Vinton for the classes, said Dickinson.

"We have a pretty good reputation," he said. Another benefit to the VPD and the city of Vinton is that local officers can attend this training at no cost to the city and no travel time.

Dickinson said that he and VPD Chief Jeff Tilson have helped provide several thousand man-hours of training to officers from throughout Iowa. Some participants have made a five-hour one-way drive to attend the events in Vinton.