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NEWARK
– Thomas R. Calcagni, Acting Director
of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs,
today announced that a public hearing will
be held Monday, July 11, a necessary step
to make permanent New Jersey’s ban
on designer drugs labeled as “bath
salts.”
New
Jersey is believed to be the third state
in the nation to take expedited administrative
action banning all six chemicals used in
designer drugs labeled as “bath salts.”
New Jersey’s ban took effect with
an Order of the Acting Director, signed
by Calcagni on Wednesday, April 27. The
order classifies the six chemicals as Schedule
I Controlled Dangerous Substances under
New Jersey’s CDS Act, thereby subjecting
them to the strictest level of state control.
Manufacture, distribution, sale, or possession
is now a third-degree crime, subject to
fines of up to $25,000 and three- to five-years
imprisonment.
The
April 27 order was enacted in an expedited
manner to stop an imminent threat to health
and public safety. It will remain in effect
270 days after being signed, or until the
Acting Director adopts a regulation to make
the ban permanent. The July 11 hearing,
at which members of the public will be encouraged
to speak or submit written testimony, is
part of the administrative process of adopting
a regulation.
“Shady
retailers are now well aware they can no
longer play games by disguising these highly
dangerous drugs with fake labels that call
them ‘bath salts’ or ‘plant
food,’” Attorney General Paula
T. Dow said. “We are now moving to
make the ban on these drugs permanent in
New Jersey. Public health and safety demand
that we preserve strict criminal penalties
for the sale and possession of these designer
drugs.”
The
public hearing will be held at 10 am Monday,
July 11, 2011, in the 7th Floor Monmouth
Conference Room at the Division of Consumer
Affairs headquarters, 124 Halsey Street,
Newark, NJ 07101.
“Until
a few weeks ago, these cocaine-like drugs
were being sold legally in novelty stores
and gas stations, to users who may not have
known how addictive or dangerous they are,
or that they are associated with chilling
acts of violence,” Calcagni said.
“They were sold without criminal penalties,
civil regulation, or even the age restrictions
placed on cigarettes. We acted swiftly to
get these drugs out of the stores and off
the streets before the start of the summer
season. The next step is to enact a permanent
ban that will keep these drugs off retail
shelves and away from anyone who might use
them.”
Any
member of the public who wishes to speak
at the July 11 hearing should submit a written
request, no later than July 6, to Thomas
R. Calcagni, Acting Director, New Jersey
Division of Consumer Affairs, PO Box 45027,
Newark, New Jersey, 07101.
Specific
presentation times will be assigned, and
a court reporter will be present to record
the proceedings. Those who do not preregister
to speak will be given an opportunity to
do so, only as time permits. Written comments
are also encouraged, and should be submitted
to Acting Director Calcagni at the above
address.
Designer
drugs labeled as "bath salts"
are associated with intense, severe side
effects that have led to suicidal thoughts,
self-mutilation, and violent outbursts.
Psychological side effects include extreme
anxiety and paranoia, delusional thinking,
and visual and auditory hallucinations.
Physical side effects include dramatically
increased blood pressure and heart rates,
and chest pains so severe some users feared
they were dying.
The
drugs have been sold at gas station convenience
stores, smoke shops, and other locations
in New Jersey, and are widely available
for sale over the Internet.
Having
no known legitimate use, the drugs are falsely
labeled as “bath salts,” “plant
food,” or other innocuous substances,
and marked “Not For Human Consumption”
in order to conceal from law enforcement
the true purpose of the substances.
The
drugs have been sold with brand names such
as “Energizing Aromatherapy,”
“Down2Earth White Horse,” “Kamikaze,”
“Ivory Wave,” “Purple
Wave,” “Red Dove,” “Blue
Silk,” “Vanilla Sky,”
and many others.
The
Order of the Acting Director lists the following
chemicals as Schedule I Controlled Dangerous
Substances in New Jersey:
- 3,4
– Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)
- 4
– Methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone,
4-MMC)
- 3,4
– Methylenedioxymethcathinone (Methylone,
MDMC)
- 4
– Fluoromethcathinone (Flephedrone,
4-FMC)
- 3
– Fluoromethcathinone (3-FMC)
- 4
– Methoxymethcathinone (Methedrone,
bk-PMMA, PMMC)
The
contents of individual packets of designer
drugs labeled as “bath salts”
vary, but have been found to include at
least one of these chemicals. The chemicals
are synthetic derivatives of cathinone,
which is a Schedule I CDS under Federal
law.
(NOTE:
Despite being falsely labeled as “bath
salts,” these drugs should not be
confused with Epsom salts or other materials
that are commonly and legitimately added
to bath water. The state ban does not apply
to Epsom salts or other true bath salts).
Much
more information about these drugs is available
at the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs website,
www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov/bathsalts
, including:
- The
Order of the Acting Director
- Fact
Sheet: Statistics on Abuse in New Jersey
- Facts
About Synthetic Cathinones
- Nationwide
Efforts to Ban Designer Drugs Labeled
as “Bath Salts”
“WARNING” Flyer
To
learn more about the Order of the Acting
Director, or to report information about
the manufacture, distribution, sale, or
possession of designer drugs labeled as
“bath salts,” contact the NJ
Division of Consumer Affairs at 800-242-5846,
or askconsumeraffairs@lps.state.nj.us
.
For
any other questions related to these drugs,
contact the NJ Poison Information and Education
System hotline, 800-222-1222.
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