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House votes to ban so-called ‘bath salts,’ other synthetic drugs that mimic marijuana, cocaine
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| Contributor | Jason |
| Last Edited | Jason Dec 13, 2011 03:11am |
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| Category | Proposed Legislation |
| Media | Newspaper - Washington Post |
| News Date | Tuesday, December 13, 2011 09:10:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to ban synthetic drugs nicknamed “bath salts” and other compounds that mimic marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines.
Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., said his legislation identifies chemical compounds that affect the brain in ways similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. They would be added to the highly restrictive Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
The bill also bans chemical compounds in synthetic drugs marketed as “bath salts” or “plant food” and under brand names such as K2 and Spice that have been used as substitutes for cocaine and other narcotics. They are now sold legally in some states.
Dent said that in the past year “there’s been a sharp increase in the number of new reports detailing horrific stories of individuals high on synthetic drugs.” He cited a case in Scranton, Pa., where a man high on bath salts stabbed a priest and another incident where someone jumped out of a three-story window after using them.
Dent’s bill also expands from one-and-a-half to three years the authority of the Drug Enforcement Administration to temporarily ban a drug while it investigates its potential danger to public health. The Senate has yet to take up a similar bill. |
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