In case you missed it, Representative George T. Ross (R–Attleboro) recently filed legislation that, if passed, would ban the sale of the designer drug referred to as “bath salts” and containing ingredients likened to those found in illegal narcotics. House Docket 3953, An Act to Include Substituted Cathinones, Also Known as ‘Bath Salts,’ in Class C Substances, seeks to categorize the drug, referred to on the streets as “bath salts,” as a Class C substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Because the ingredients commonly found in “bath salts” are not currently included in our Controlled Substances Act, these drugs can be sold legally in convenience stores and over the Internet with no legal and/or practical use.
The active ingredients in the drug “bath salts” include methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDVP) and mephedrone - also known as substituted cathinones. “Bath salts” are typically sold as a white powder and in crystal form, and can be smoked, injected, or snorted, giving users effects similar to cocaine, methamphetamine (meth), or ecstasy. Users’ reactions to the drug can vary but are reported to include hallucinations, severe anxiety, paranoia, suicidal thoughts and combative behavior, as well as dangerously elevated blood pressure and heart rate.
‘The ingredients that are found in this hallucinogen marketed as “bath salts” produce a potentially dangerous narcotic that is now readily available to any individual,’ said Representative Ross. ‘In filing this legislation, it is my intention to take a proactive approach to this growing epidemic before it is too late and someone loses their life.’
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as of July 14, 2011, 25 states have already enacted legislation banning the substances used to manufacture the drug, and 11 other states currently have legislation pending.
