The non-medical use of synthetic designer drugs is increasing on a global scale. In particular, synthetic analogs of the plant-derived stimulant cathinone are being sold online and in retail shops as legal alternatives to illicit drugs like cocaine, amphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; Products containing synthetic cathinones are given innocuous names such as ‘bath salts’ or ‘plant food’ and are often labeled ‘not for human consumption. Although some cathinone derivatives are legal and can be sold without penalty, three of the most popular drugs of this type—3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), 4-methyl methcathinone (mephedrone), and 3,4-(methylone)—have been classified as Schedule I controlled substances in the United States. All three of the Schedule I cathinone, depicted, have been identified in bath salts products, but MDPV is the chief substance found in the blood and urine of patients exposed to bath salts who are admitted to emergency departments in the United States. The available evidence suggests that MDPV is a primary culprit in mediating the adverse effects of bath salts products.