Synthetic Drugs Are Illegal

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Back in 2012, the world heard the horrific tale of a man who, naked and high on the synthetic drug called "bath salts" chewed off the face of another man. Ew. Back then, many hadn't heard of bath salts other than of the "calgon take me away" variety, and to this day, many don't know whether synthetic drugs, called things like "synthetic marijuana," "K2," "spice," or "bath salts" - and often sold in legal retail outlets as "herbal incense" or "potpourri" - are illegal.

Well, they are illegal.

The Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act makes 26 different kinds of synthetic drugs illegal under federal law and there are laws in virtually every state that also make such synthetic drugs illegal.

The effects of synthetic drugs include severe agitation and anxiety, nausea, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, hallucinations, and suicidal and other harmful thoughts and/or actions, apparently like the compulsion to chew someone's face off. Blech.

Hard to see what's good about them but, according to a survey of youth drug-use trends published on the White House website, one in nine 12th graders in America reported using synthetic drugs in the past year.

Now's the time to educate yourself and your kids that synthetic drugs are illegal and dangerous and that "high and zombie-like" is no way to go through life, son.