The are many reasons not to use recreational drugs and this story is likely one of the scariest.

So called “bath salts,” which have nothing to do with bathing, are widely available and legal to acquire. A study that was just published in the journal Orthopedics reveals for the first time a link between use of these salts and the flesh-eating bacteria or necrotizing fasciitis. It is caused by a variety of bacteria including Group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio vulnificus, Clostridium perfringens and Bacteroides fragilis). While these bacteria can normally be killed by antibiotics, surgery and even amputation becomes necessary once the infection progresses deep within the tissue.

Medical experts are warning of a potentially lethal new designer drug exploding in popularity across the United States this year. The stimulant is sold as “bath salts” and in many states it is perfectly legal. [It's also sometimes sold as "plant food." --Ed.]

From the article: {Warning: If you go to the article’s link, it has several gory photographs of the patient’s affected arm.}

The patient presented 2 days after injection of bath salts with extensive cellulitis extending to the mid portion of her upper arm. The cellulitis initially responded to broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, but rapidly deteriorated 48 hours later, leading to a forequarter amputation with radical mastectomy and chest wall debridement to obtain healthy tissue margins and control the disease.

A large retrospective study performed in California between 1984 and 1999 showed a sharp increase in necrotizing fasciitis between 1994 and 1999 in conjunction with the rise in popularity of the intravenous drug black tar heroin. 11 Hopefully, this rise in popularity of bath salts does not preclude a similar rise in necrotizing fasciitis, but surgeons must be ready to diagnose and perform extensive debridements in association with general surgeons in some instances to obtain limb salvage and function and prevent death.