Bath salts, synthetic drugs change too fast for foes to fight

Bath salts, which mimic the effects of drugs like cocaine
and speed. The Patriot-News photo by Chris Knight.

Though legislators across the country, including Kentucky, have passed laws to ban synthetic drugs like bath salts, there are so many new formulations of the substances the states can't keep up.

Experts estimate there are more than 100 types of bath-salt chemicals. "The moment you start to regulate one of them, they'll come out with a variant that sometimes is even more potent," said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The drugs, which mimic the effects of drugs like cocaine and amphetamines, are usually sold at small stores "in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food," Matthew Perrone reports for The Associated Press. "But the substances inside are powerful, mind-altering drugs that have been linked to bizarre and violent behavior across the country." The products are sold under brand names like "Ivory Wave," "Vanilla Sky" and "Bliss." The American Association of Poison Control got more than 6,100 calls about the drugs in 2011 — up from 304 in 2010 — and 1,700 calls so far this year.

The sticky wicket in controlling the surge of formulations stems from the fact that "U.S. laws prohibit the sale or possession of all substances that mimic illegal drugs, but only if federal prosecutors can show that they are intended for human use," Perrone reports. On almost every packet of these drugs, there is a warning that says they are not fit for human consumption. Be that as it may, "everyone knows these are drugs to get high, including the sellers," said Barbara Carreno, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Kentucky banned bath salts in 2011. In May 2012 Gov. Steve Beshear signed a mandate that "closes legal loopholes by banning classes, not just compounds, of synthetic drugs," reports Jeffery Smith for WFIE-TV in Evansville, Ind. The 2011 law "extends seizure and forfeiture laws to retailers who sell the items, makes sales a felony for a second or subsequent offense, and makes simple possession a misdemeanor," Smith reports.

Still, those fighting on the front lines of the problem said it's difficult to curb. "The problem is these drugs are changing and I'm sure they're going to find some that are a little bit different chemically so they don't fall under the law," said Dr. Sullivan Smith of Cookeville Regional Medical Center in Tennessee. "Is it adequate to name five or 10 or even 20? The answer is no, they're changing too fast." (Read more)

House Judiciary Committee approves two bills to curb synthetic, Rx drug abuse

Cracking down on drugs is one of the most pressing topics of the 2012 General Assembly, and lawmakers showed they were serious about it this afternoon. (Associated Press photo by Ed Reinke of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville)

In an effort to get a handle on prescription drug abuse — and so-called pill mills that supply the addictive medications — the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that will place controls on pain management clinics, reports Jack Brammer of the Lexington Herald-Leader. House Bill 4 also puts the power to police the problem into the hands of the attorney general; cracks down on prescribers who have had trouble with the law for drug-related crime; requires that the clinics be owned by people who have a medical background; and will get a detailed look at how many deaths are occurring by having coroners report any death caused from the use of drugs or drug overdoses.

"We don't really know how bad (the problem) is," said House Speaker Greg Stumbo, the Prestonsburg Democrat who filed the bill. "I think it will astound us when we get the results in because I think it might double what we think the numbers are."

The committee also approved House Bill 482, which prohibits trafficking and possession of synthetic drugs that are sold as bath salts or incense in convenience stores and other places. The measure, sponsored by committee chairman John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville, was passed unanimously.

Both bills will now go to the full House for consideration. (Read more)

Sen. Rand Paul puts holds on federal synthetic drug bans

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, left, has put a hold on several Senate bills aimed at banning chemicals used in synthetic drugs because he feels "enforcement of most drug laws can and should be local and state issues," said his spokeswoman Moira Bagley. The move has been criticized by other lawmakers, law enforcement and a woman from his home city whose daughter had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana. (Photo by Matt Goins)

"When Ashley Stillwell, 19, bowed to peer pressure last August and smoked a substance called 7H, it quickly immobilized her," reports Bill Estep for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Ashley's frightened friends poured water on her and shook her. When they couldn't rouse her, Ashley heard the others discuss dumping her body in the Barren River."

The teen recovered after she was taken to the hospital, but her mother Amy, of Bowling Green, is frustrated by Paul's move to block the legislation. Three Senate measures passed committee last summer, and the House voted 371-98 in December to approve a ban on synthetic drug chemicals. Senate rules allow one member to place a hold on a bill. "That doesn't mean it can't be voted on, but it slows the process and raises some hurdles," Estep reports.

Bagley said Paul is concerned about banning the substances before research can be done on them. Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowan Republican who sponsored one of the bills, said reclassifying the chemicals as controlled substances would not prevent research from being conducted. "We cannot let the will of just one senator obstruct the will of many," Grassley said.

One in nine high-school seniors had used a substance known as K2 or Spice in the past year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in December. That makes synthetic marijuana the second most-abused drug in that age group. Calls to poison-control centers about synthetic drugs have risen from 3,200 in 2010 to 13,000 last year, Estep reports.

White House drug chief Gil Kerlikowske said his office is "urging the Senate to pass that legislation." (Read more)