The New War Against Synthetic Drugs

by Scott Arnold

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- State lawmakers have called synthetic drugs a deadly epidemic. There's now a number of new pushes at the Capitol to get the dangerous drugs off the streets.

While the drugs sold in convenience stores as potpourri, herbal incense, or bath salts sound harmless, many Tennesseeans have died using these products

"There have been instances in which these synthetic drugs have triggered severe mental reactions which have resulted in hospitalization," said Nashville State Representative Mike Stewart

State lawmakers have been getting an earful about the issue. A 7th grade class recently told State Rep Tony Shipley they even knew kids who had used Synthetic Drugs.

"Then I asked them, I said how many of you all had taken some, no hands went up, but half of the heads went down, body language said that 50% of our 7th graders are messing with something that can kill them," Shipley told us.

In response lawmakers have filed a number of bills designed to stop these drugs from being sold. Representative Shipley's bill makes it a felony to sell synthetic drugs. Representative Stewart's legislation would allow you to sue the store owner. There are other measures that would suspend the beer or tobacco license of the store where you bought it.

The convenience store lobby is against this legislation. They believe it's the labeling on these products that can be misleading and don't feel store owners should be held responsible.

State Representatives don't agree.

"We are telling them, they have time to get it out of their stores, we don't want it in

our communities, we don't want it in our state, and we sure don't want it around our children --

so you send that message to them, they know it now," said Rep. Shipley.

"I think these are extremely dangerous products. I think people who are selling them know exactly what they are doing. We are going to keep passing laws up here until it becomes prohibitively expensive to market these sorts of bad substances," added Rep. Stewart

Debate on these synthetic drug bills has already started on Capitol Hill. It could take a few weeks to see which bills have a good chance at passing.

email: sarnold@newschannel5.com

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The New War Against Synthetic Drugs