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Miami Commissioner Proposes Bath Salts Ban

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – "Bath salts" have made headlines ever since it was rumored Rudy Eugene may have been under their influence when he chewed off Ronald Poppo's face on the MacArthur Causeway before he was shot and killed by a Miami police officer.

On Thursday, Miami Commissioner Wilfredo (Willy) Gort proposed new legislation which would ban the sale "bath salts" in the city.

The ban would apply to any product "labeled, marketed or sold using the term 'bath salt' or 'bath salts' and which is packaged in quantities of less than 16 ounces or in pill, tablet or capsule form."

Gort said the ordinance is a pro-active form of legislation to stay one step ahead of a new generation of drugs and drug dealers.

"We have seen other surrounding municipalities move to enact ordinances addressing the "bath salts," said Gort in a statement.

Bath salts are a toxic cocktail of stimulants Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), mephedrone, and pyrovalerone. The Drug Enforcement Agency groups bath salts with mescaline and ephedrine, while dealers market the drug as a replacement for cocaine or a synthetic form of the hallucinogen LSD, according to CNN.

Last month the City of Sweetwater added "bath salts" to their ban on the sale and manufacture of "synthetic marijuana."

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