'Bath salts' being sold to ravers in ibiza

A drug called Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV for short) is being sold to ravers in Ibiza.

Various Spanish and English news reports say that the chemical is causing severe health problems among users on the White Isle.

A nurse based in San Antonio told Diario De Ibiza that patients had to be restrained in their beds once admitted to hospital after taking the drug. She also said that it took up to eight police officers to hold down one man, who also bit one officer's hand.

MDPV is referred to by the media as 'bath salts', which is something of a catch-all term for MDPV, methylone and mephedrone, all designer drugs that are chemically similar to the plant khat and have made it onto the street as part of the legal highs boom.

Too much MDPV can induce violent behaviour, paranoia and panic attacks. In other words, it can make you go pretty crazy, which is what seems to have been happening to some ravers who have taken it in Ibiza over the last week or so.

The Local reports that police in Ibiza believe that dealers are testing out the drug's popularity on the island. Police hope that it was only a "small batch" that has now been consumed.

The Daily Mail is also reporting that a Briton on holiday in Mallorca was taken ill after taking MDPV, meaning it may be being sold in numerous tourist hotspots in Spain.

If you're off on holiday to the Balearics, be careful. Don't buy or take anything that you are unsure of or that is hard to identify.