"Bath Salts" Drug Still Hurting Families

One girl's story of recovery

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By Lauren Maxwell
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Story Created: Jan 10, 2012 at 11:02 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Jan 10, 2012 at 11:02 AM AKDT

It’s a drug that is still legal in many parts of the state but authorities say it can be deadly.

It’s marketed as “bath salts” but it’s not something you put in the tub.

It’s a form of synthetic methamphetamine that gives a high like cocaine but is much more addictive.

23-year-old Kristin Wickberg is a Valley resident who has been struggling with an addiction to bath salts. Wickberg says she abused many drugs over many years but turned to bath salts because they were a cheap legal high. Unfortunately, they caused her and her family nothing but pain.

“My parents had to call the cops a couple times, actually they had to call them a lot,” says Wickberg. “They put me in the hospital a couple of times.”

Wickberg says she is motivated to change so that she can regain custody of her two sons and have a better life.

She’s been at a structured housing program for four months called New Life Development where she has remained clean and sober.

Wickberg says one of the toughest parts of staying clean is knowing that she can drive to the Valley and find the bath salt drugs on a store shelf. They aren’t illegal there, although the Anchorage Assembly outlawed them in Anchorage several months ago. The Alaska Legislature will consider a bill this session that would make bath salts illegal across the state.

 

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Anonymous said on Sunday, Mar 11 at 6:54 PM

....cant get them in Anchorage but you can in the Vally...good one let people know where you CAN get it still! reallly wow!

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unknown said on Wednesday, Jan 11 at 3:44 PM

nicotine is a legal drug, why is bath salts even legal except in anchorage law makers like it too?

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tip said on Tuesday, Jan 10 at 3:58 PM

Jeeze lady get it together. Just because an alcoholic has problems giving up the bottle doesn't mean we should make it illegal. Bathsalts are bath though, no joke.

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