Ban Helps Lessen Southeast Missouri’s Bath Salts Problem
Sep 07, 2012
A year ago, Missouri officials passed a law making certain types of bath salts illegal. Prior to the law, convenience stores and other local shops were selling the drug over-the-counter using loopholes to bypass previous laws. With the new law, law enforcement and health officials are cracking down on these stores causing sales to decline sharply.
With the help of DEA, local law enforcement raided businesses as part of a nationwide operation called Operation Log Jam. While the sales of syntheticbath salts in Missouri have declined over the year, users can still cross state lines into Illinois to buy the drug. Unfortunately, the problem continues to grow as the use of synthetic bath salts has increased nationwide. In 2011, calls to poison control centers regarding bath salts reached 6,072 versus 303 the year before. While President Barack Obama signed a bill this summer that banned the sale, production, and possession of a number of common bath saltdrugs, overseas manufacturers are adjusting chemicals to bypass the law. Missouri’s bath salt epidemic has been curbed slightly with the new laws, but users are still attracted to the new drug that is harder to screen for on drug tests.
Learn more: Bath Salts or Designer Cathinones (Synthetic Stimulants), Signs of Drug Use
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Source
Missourian