Corbett signs Pennsylvania ban on ‘bath salts’

    Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has signed a law banning “bath salts,” the designer drug known for causing violent and bizarre behavior.

    The ban will expand the state’s list of controlled substances to include synthetic marijuana, an LSD-like drug known as 2C-E and the hallucinogen known as salvia.

    Sen. Elder Vogel of Beaver County sponsored the bill, which the General Assembly unanimously approval last week.

    Vogel said the use of bath salts spiked in a way that resembled the similarly rapid spread of methamphetamine use in Pennsylvania a few years ago.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    “There’s the situation where a state cop tasered a guy who was high on the stuff and the guy still turned around and beat the cop up, because he was so high and the adrenaline was so high,” said Vogel. “It’s a situation where the stuff does uncontrollable things to people.”

    The law will go into effect in 60 days, but Corbett is calling on convenience stores, gas stations, and other retailers to voluntarily take the drugs off their shelves right away.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal