A synthetic drug disguised as bath salts has been linked to a growing number of violent incidents, including an attack in Miami where a man allegedly ate part of a homeless man’s face.

The number of calls to poison centers about “bath salts” leapt from 304 in 2010 to 6,138 in 2011, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. The drugs are known to cause what police have dubbed “excited delirium” in which users become violent and paranoid, Good Morning America reports. Pending legislation would create a nationwide ban on the drugs.

In an incident on May 31, a man who was reportedly high on the bath salts attacked Banner Desert Medical Center staff with a fire extinguisher, The Arizona Republic reports. Security tackled Nathan Ritchey and held him until police arrived. Officers shot Ritchey four times with a Taser when he refused to put his hands behind his back.

Another man, Brian Brewczynski, was found to be high on bath salts late last month when he attacked a St. Luke’s Hospital security officer with medical equipment, WSYR-TV reports. The officer suffered injuries to his face and neck that required medical treatment.

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