After passing a vote in the Florida House this week, synthetic drugs are one step closer to being banned. (Source: Getty Images)
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – “Bath salts” have made headlines ever since it was rumored Rudy Eugene may have been under their influence when he chewed off half of Ronald Poppo’s face on the MacArthur Causeway before he was shot and killed by a Miami police officer.
On Tuesday, Miami-Dade commissioners gave preliminary approval to outlaw the sale of “bath salts,” the synthetic drug that can make users aggressive and often violent.
“Bath salts” can be easily purchased at convenience stores, along with synthetic marijuana, which has also been targeted by commissioners to be banned.
The “bath salts” ban is up for final approval on July 3rd.
The county ordinance would also ban sales or advertising displays for anything structurally similar to a list of banned compounds. Violators could face $500 in fines and up to 60 days in jail.
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.
The main problem for law enforcement: Manufacturers have managed to sidestep state law banning dozens of the stimulants by slightly altering the drugs’ chemical makeup.
Bath Salts can be inhaled, smoked, or digested and have names like Blue Silk, Hurricane Charley and Ivory Snow.
Last year, Gov. Rick Scott signed a law banning bath salts which can be used as an alternative for drugs like cocaine and LSD. Officials say manufacturers have altered the drugs’ chemical makeup to make it easier to sidestep laws.
Similar ordinances recently passed in the Cities of Miami and Sweetwater.
Some law enforcement officers have speculated that bath salts ingested by Rudy Eugene fueled the MacArthur Causeway attack, however, toxicology results in the case have not yet been released.
