Legislation Banning Synthetic Drugs Signed into Law
Jul 12, 2012
President Obama signed into law new drug legislation that will permanently
ban the deadly chemical compounds marketed and sold as bath salts and
incense in the United States.
“President Obama’s swift approval of this federal ban is the final nail in the
coffin for the legal sale of bath salts in smoke shops and convenient stores in
New York State and throughout the rest of the country,” said Sen. Charles
Schumer, (D-N.Y.) the bill’s author.
“This law will close loopholes that have allowed manufacturers to circumvent
local and state bans and ensure that you cannot simply cross state lines to
find these deadly bath salts, and I’m pleased that after a great deal of effort,
it has become law. We have seen bath salts catalyze some of the most
heinous crimes in recent months across Upstate New York, and the
President’s signature ensures that the federal government can fight this
scourge with a united front, across state lines and at our borders.”
The new law’s unique force is that it prohibits not only the compounds
currently identified as “bath salts,” but also outlaws similar compounds that
may be produced in the future. In addition to the identified compounds, the
law also prohibits other any synthetics that may have different chemical
formulas but produce the same effects.
The law bans the active ingredients of bath salts, mephedrone and
methylenedioxypyrovalerone, by adding them to the Food and Drug
Administration’s category of substances that cannot be sold under any
circumstances and also cannot be prescribed for medical purposes.
The law enumerates 31 compounds that are explicitly banned, giving the
precise chemical name of each. Twenty from the list are synthetic marijuana
varieties, and 10 are bath salts.
While more than 30 states have banned various compounds in synthetic
drugs, new ones are continually being created. Coalitions have been able to
shut down retailers selling synthetic drugs, but had been challenged by the
more popular online sales. The law outlaws sales of synthetic drugs by both
retail stores and online retailers.