National ban on bath salts advances

By U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud
(D-Maine)
    On December 8th, the House of Representatives took action on a bill that I have been pushing for months that would place a national ban on the chemicals used to make the dangerous drug known all too well in Maine as “bath salts.” I’m pleased to report that it passed by an overwhelming majority. And that’s a good thing, since action on this issue can’t come soon enough.
    In October I organized a meeting of local, state, county, and federal law enforcement officials in Maine so that they could hear directly from the Chief of Police in Bangor on the devastating impacts these drugs are having on his community. I think all in the room were alarmed at what Bangor was experiencing and didn’t want it to spread to their communities.
    Bangor Police Chief Ron Gastia noted that the U.S. can’t afford to play catch up when it comes to these dangerous drugs given the highly erratic, dangerous, and sometimes violent behavior that is caused by their psychotic effects. And he should know – the Bangor Police Department alone has responded to more than 400 bath salts incidents since January. And Mike Wardrop, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) resident agent in charge in Maine, noted that the U.S. is currently 2-3 years behind Europe when it comes to passing national legislation addressing synthetic drugs.
    After that meeting, I committed to pushing aggressively for a vote on the national ban on bath salts by requesting that the Speaker of the House move forward on it as soon as possible. I’m glad that he listened to those of us pushing for this bill because the drug continues to hit our streets despite some states banning it.
    And considering recent newspaper headlines, it’s seems that additional action is needed and that the impacts of bath salts are spreading in Maine.
    The challenge with synthetic drugs like bath salts is that they can be modified just enough to avoid classification as an illegal substance. The lag time between when a new drug hits the streets and when local or federal bodies can act to ban it creates numerous hardships for law enforcement and health institutions. During that window, synthetic drugs can be easily purchased and the ability of police to intervene is limited. This was the case with bath salts, and it’s created major threats to public health and safety in our communities.
    Thankfully, the bill that passed the House helps law enforcement stay ahead of the curve. The Synthetic Drug Control Act will add to the good work being done in our state and help make it harder to traffic these dangerous drugs across state lines and in our communities. It will also raise the profile of the drug and help bring increased awareness to its harmful impacts. I’m hopeful that this ban and increased federal focus will also lead to additional resources for those in Maine on the front lines of this growing epidemic.
    In 2010, state poison control centers reported only 1 bath salts related incident. So while largely unknown a year ago, bath salts have quickly become one of the top issues for our law enforcement and health care institutions in Maine. These drugs and those that push them have done a lot of damage over the last year. Hopefully this national and state action, combined with the efforts of our devoted law enforcement officials, will be enough to beat back recent trends.
    We can’t afford to push off solutions to another day, and I’m hopeful the Senate can pass a bill soon so that we can get this important initiative to the president’s desk for his signature into law. Maine and other states have already acted and it’s long past time that the federal government catches up.