SENATOR COLLINS' STATEMENT ON EFFORTS TO COMBAT BATH SALTS
U.S. Senator Susan Collins praised the efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement officials who are meeting in Maine today to further discuss the devastating drugs known as "bath salts."
Senator Collins is a cosponsor of federal legislation that would make the synthetic chemicals used to make bath salts illegal throughout the United States. The "Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act" would ban mephedrone and MDPV under the federal Controlled Substances Act as drugs that have no legitimate medical value and a high potential for abuse. Senator Collins has also cosponsored a bipartisan amendment, introduced this week, that would require better coordination between federal and local law enforcement agencies that are targeting the spread of synthetic drugs, like bath salts. The amendment would require the Office of National Drug Control Policy to work closely with the Department of Justice on a report detailing a coordinated strategy.
"This is a threat we must face head-on," said Senator Collins. "The delayed psychological effects of bath salts make them a time bomb for users, and the proliferation of these dangerous drugs make them a time bomb for society. Law-enforcement officials, and medical personnel deserve credit for responding quickly to alert the public to the dangers and to discourage experimentation. But this is not a battle Maine or any other state can fight alone. This is a national threat that requires national action."
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Senator Collins is a cosponsor of federal legislation that would make the synthetic chemicals used to make bath salts illegal throughout the United States. The "Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act" would ban mephedrone and MDPV under the federal Controlled Substances Act as drugs that have no legitimate medical value and a high potential for abuse. Senator Collins has also cosponsored a bipartisan amendment, introduced this week, that would require better coordination between federal and local law enforcement agencies that are targeting the spread of synthetic drugs, like bath salts. The amendment would require the Office of National Drug Control Policy to work closely with the Department of Justice on a report detailing a coordinated strategy.
"This is a threat we must face head-on," said Senator Collins. "The delayed psychological effects of bath salts make them a time bomb for users, and the proliferation of these dangerous drugs make them a time bomb for society. Law-enforcement officials, and medical personnel deserve credit for responding quickly to alert the public to the dangers and to discourage experimentation. But this is not a battle Maine or any other state can fight alone. This is a national threat that requires national action."
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