Pubdate: Sun, 17 Jul 2011
Source: Daily News Journal  (Murfreesboro, TN)
Contact: http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=CUSTOMERSERVICE03
Copyright: 2011 The Daily News Journal
Website: http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1709
Author: Bob Cooper, Attorney General for the state of Tennessee.

ATTY GENERAL: NEW STATE LAW ALLOWS POLICE TO STOP SYNTHETIC DRUG SALES

A new Tennessee law is strengthening state and local law enforcement's
efforts to combat dangerous new synthetic drugs marketed under
harmless-sounding names such as "bath salts" and "plant food."

My office has joined forces with the District Attorneys of Tennessee
to spread the word that these substances sold as a legal way to get
high are both illegal and extremely harmful. Legitimate businesses
should remove them from their shelves. Individuals need to stop using
them.

In the ever-changing war on drugs across the country and in Tennessee,
authorities have discovered that these synthetic drugs are growing in
popularity and are being sold broadly from music festivals to local
convenience stores. The products are labeled "not for human
consumption" but have been widely promoted on the Internet and in chat
rooms as alternatives to ecstasy, cocaine, or other controlled
substances. The Internet-based ads target young people with flashy
symbols in bright colors on their tie-dyed packages. These
recreational drugs have caused severe physical and psychological side
effects in a number of cases.

In March, my office's Law Enforcement and Special Prosecutions
Division working with the Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Bureau
of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies across the state
obtained a restraining order and authorization for a state-wide
seizure of "Molly's Plant Food" and other phony plant food products.
Because possession or sale of these synthetic drugs was not illegal at
that time, we filed a civil suit successfully arguing that the stores
in which the products were sold had not registered them, as requested
by the state Department of Agriculture, as fertilizer.

Police departments seized roughly ten thousand packets of Molly's and
other fake plant food packages from stores across the state to stop
the growing public health hazard while my office worked with other
authorities to sort out the legal loopholes.

In the absence of criminal legislation, there was confusion among law
enforcement agencies throughout the state about whether to seize the
products. The Legislature, with Gov. Bill Haslam's support, has now
plugged this gap enacting House Bill 457/Senate Bill 396 (2011
Tennessee Public Acts, Chapter 169). The Act makes it illegal to
"knowingly produce, manufacture, distribute, sell, offer for sale or
possess with intent to produce, manufacture, distribute, sell or offer
for sale" any capsule, pill, or other product containing certain
synthetic derivatives of methcathinone, which is the key ingredient of
"plant food, bath salts" and, possibly, other harmful substances. The
Act became effective May 5, 2011.

Emergency room physicians have reported seeing far too many
potentially life-threatening situations in Tennessee's hospitals to
ignore the threat posed by this hazardous product. Thanks to the
quick, cooperative action of many local and state officials, it was
removed from many stores shelves before even more people were injured.
Now, with the prompt action of the General Assembly, authorities have
enhanced ability to prosecute as criminals those pedaling these
dangerous drugs.

If you see these products on sale at your local stores, you may want
to notify your local law enforcement so they can confiscate the
products and prosecute sellers under the new law. We all need to
spread the news that these drugs are illegal and cannot be legally
sold again without criminal consequences.
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.