Many dangerous drugs remain legal after 'bath salts' ban

Posted: 7:20 AM Updated: 6:31 PM

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON People are inventing so many new ways to get high that lawmakers can't seem to keep up.

click image to enlarge

This Jan. 26, 2011, photo shows containers of bath salts in Mechanicsburg, Pa. There's been a surge in the use of synthetic drugs that are made of legal chemicals but mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants. The drugs, which are often sold at corner stores as bath salts, incense and plant food for as little as $15, can trigger bizarre and violent behavior.

AP/The Patriot-News, Chris Knight

click image to enlarge

In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2011, file photo, packages of fake "bath salts," synthetic stimulants that mimic the effects of traditional drugs like cocaine and speed, are displayed by Senate Drug Policy Committee chairman Sid Albritton, R-Picayune, at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. On July 10, 2012, President Obama signed a law banning more than two dozen of the most common chemicals used to make the drugs. Over the past two years health care and law enforcement professionals have seen a surge in use of the drugs, often sold under the guise of bath salts, incense and plant food. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a surge in the use of synthetic drugs made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants.

The drugs are often sold at small, independent stores in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food. But the substances inside are powerful, mind-altering drugs that have been linked to bizarre and violent behavior across the country. Law enforcement officials refer to the drugs collectively as "bath salts," though they have nothing in common with the fragrant toiletries used to moisturize skin.

Read more here:
Many dangerous drugs remain legal after 'bath salts' ban