Across the US there’s been a continuing problem of substances being sold for one purpose with full knowledge that buyers are using them for another. First it was incense that kids could legally purchase and then “smoke” to get high. Then came a slew of products like fertilizers and bath salts – all containing chemicals that weren’t illegal to use/abuse.
One by one, states started making these products illegal to sell for any purpose and got them removed from store shelves. Vermont has finally joined 30 other states by making “bath salts” illegal here. Not all bath salts, but those containing the chemicals mephedrone and MDPV. Those are the two chemicals of interest to abusers. The ban came by way of an emergency ruling by Governor Shumlin.
Although legal, neither substance is safe. They do make users experience altered consciousness, including hallucinations, but come with serious physical side effects – rapid heartbeat, paranoia and a steep spike in blood pressure. The substances are responsible for dozens of emergency room visits and some deaths.
There’s a problem with how these products are dealt with however. The current ban is great, but there is a laundry list of other chemicals that manufacturers can use for a similar purpose. Federal and state laws have to identify specifically the chemical compound banned, and by altering the molecule slightly, clever chemists can sidestep the new ban. Generally, the only real way to quash the problem is to prohibit, not just individual chemicals, but whole classes of compounds.
The situation is made more difficult because these products are not being sold for human consumption. The folks buying them know how to use them to get high, and the manufacturers know that’s why their product is selling, but technically they aren’t being marketed as anything other than bath salts. The labels may even state “Not for human consumption.” Everyone knows the deal though.
