The other bath salts, from Poland with love
16 June 2025
If the term "bath salt" or "meow-meow" reminds you of something other than relaxing baths and cats, you might want to reconsider your life choices. Both of these terms are street names for synthetic cathinone drugs – not as old or popular as cocaine or MDMA, but still fairly common on the European black market.
Out of the 53 synthetic cathinone drug production sites across Europe dismantled in 2023, 40 were in Poland, making it a European drug superpower. The police confiscated almost two tons of 'bath salts'. One in twenty people in Poland use illegal drugs, placing it among the first ten EU countries. Amphetamine is among the most popular, below cannabis, which can explain the high number of production sites.
Another reason is a cross-border collaboration: many of the uncovered labs were established by Polish and Ukrainian criminal networks. Since the illicit drug market moved online, it has become much harder to track or contain. Accessing drugs is way too easy – they are often delivered to package lockers and ordered through numerous Telegram channels.
Nearly a third of Europeans have tried illegal drugs at least once in their lifetime. Among young adults, 15% and 2.7% used cannabis and cocaine, respectively, and the amount of substance seems to increase over the years.
Regular drug use is linked with mental health issues and a higher risk of cardiovascular and infectious diseases, such as HIV contracted through contaminated needles. At least 7,500 people across Europe died of overdose in 2023. It's a minimum estimate, and still, the number has likely increased since the previous year.
 | Zuzanna Stawiska |
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