Casey Reiterates Call on DEA to Enact Immediate National Ban
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today praised the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of legislation he cosponsored to combat dangerous drugs like bath salts.
“The action taken today is a positive step in the effort to get dangerous drugs like bath salts out of our communities,” said Senator Casey. “The horrific strain these drugs have inflicted on public safety, public health and local law enforcement demands immediate action, and I reiterate my call on the DEA to use its authority to immediately enact a temporary ban while a permanent ban moves through Congress.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved the Combating Dangerous Synthetic Drugs Act and the Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act, legislation Senator Casey cosponsored to immediately add the ingredients in bath salts to the list of controlled substances and amend the Controlled Substances Act to double the timeframe the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services have to emergency schedule substances from 18 months to 36 months. This will allow for dangerous substances to be quickly removed from the market while being studied for permanent scheduling.
The committee also passed the Combating Designer Drugs Act of 2011, which would ban the chemicals found in the synthetic drug 2C-E.
In order to be signed in to law, the bills must now be approved by the full Senate and House and signed by the President.
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