In February, when PropertyCasualty360.com ran a story about a kooky family-run business that was selling faux zombie insurance, I was fairly certain it was tongue-in-cheek. Now I'm not so certain.

In late May, in a story that made worldwide headlines, a man in Miami was shot and killed by police while he was in the act of chewing off a homeless man's face. By any accounts the story is horrific, but the particulars of the case make it especially chilling—since after having warning shots fired at him by the cops, the guy looked up, growled, and kept on chewing.

It turns out the assailant was likely high on the synthetic street drug known as “bath salts” at the time of the assault. And that's a story unto itself, because “bath salts” are technically legal—which it would seem could open up a big can of liability for an unsuspecting purveyor.

Believe it or not, the highly addictive drug—which encompasses all the properties of meth and LSD—can be bought over the counter in many states at smoke shops, convenience stores, truck stops or over the Internet. “Bath salts” are actually a mix of synthetic drugs including mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), which are legal. 

Unlike cooking meth, it doesn't seem as if formulating “bath salts” could end up in an explosion or the long-term pollution of a property where it's made. However, if an unwitting (or witting) store is selling the stuff, I'd think there'd be a huge liability concern. 

I'm not sure if the spreading use of this drug will usher in “zombie apocalypse” behavior in users, but if I was an insurance agent placing coverage for convenience stores or smoke shops, it would scare the hell out of me to think they might be selling this stuff—whether it's legal or not.