Recent Death of Westmoreland County Boy Underscores Need for Urgent Action
Casey: As Congress Stalls, Dangers of Drugs Increase for PA Families
WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey released a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging the Senate leaders to quickly schedule a vote on a bill that would effectively ban dangerous designer drugs like K2 and bath salts.
The bill that would permanently ban K2, the Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2011 (S. 605), has been bottled up in the Senate for over two weeks. With a vote on the bill stalled, the damaging consequences of K2 have continued to spread. Last week, a Westmoreland County boy died after using K2.
“All across the country and in Pennsylvania, families and children have suffered the dangerous consequences of these drugs. It is time for the Senate to act,” Senator Casey said. “Getting K2 off the streets for good would allow parents to rest easier at night and keep our kids safe. There is an urgent need for action.”
Over the past couple of years, herbal products marketed as “legal” and providing a marijuana-like high have become increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young adults. These products consist of plant material that has been coated with chemicals that claim to mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops, and over the Internet.
In March, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) used its emergency authority to temporarily restrict access to the drug in K2. However, without full Congressional authorization there is no guarantee that the DEA will permanently ban the substance when the temporary ban expires.
In his letter, Casey urged the Senate’s leaders to quickly schedule a vote on S. 605 so that federal and local law enforcement can utilize all their resources in the fight against this new wave of designer drugs.
A copy of Senator Casey’s letter to Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell is below:
Dear Senators Reid and McConnell:
I write to encourage quick action on legislation to ban the chemicals found in synthetic drugs. As you know, three separate bills to address this deadly problem are currently on the Senate Calendar: the Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act of 2011; the Combating Designer Drugs Act of 2011; and the Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2011. Mounting evidence suggests that synthetic drugs pose a grave threat to public safety and I urge you to schedule a vote on these bills as soon as possible.
On July 28th, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously agreed to three pieces of legislation that would place the chemicals found in synthetic drugs in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, including so-called “bath salts” and synthetic marijuana. Marketed as bath crystals, plant food, herbal incense, K2, and spice, these drugs are sold legally in many states despite a series of incidents in which the drugs have made its users very ill and sometimes caused violent behavior. In some cases, users have died after taking synthetic drugs.
In Pennsylvania, a 13-year old boy in Westmoreland County recently passed away after his lungs were damaged by synthetic marijuana. He smoked the substance from a plastic PEZ candy dispenser and became so ill from the chemicals in the drug that he required a double-lung transplant in September. The boy did not recover after developing an infection from the transplant. This tragic incident is unfortunately one of many related to consumption of synthetic drugs in my home state: in March, a man high on bath salts broke into a monastery and attacked a priest, cutting his hands and face. On a separate occasion, a 29-year old man took his mother and two others hostage at gunpoint after ingesting bath salts. Numerous robberies and burglaries in Pennsylvania have also been linked to consumption of synthetic drugs.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has used its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily ban the chemicals found in synthetic marijuana and bath salts for up to one year. As required by the Controlled Substances Act, DEA is currently studying these chemicals for permanent scheduling. There is a risk, however, that if the agency does not complete its review before the temporary ban expires, synthetic drugs could once again become legal.
Therefore, it is imperative that the Senate keep synthetic drugs off the streets permanently and exercise its legislative authority to add these drugs to Schedule I. I ask you to bring these bills to the floor for immediate consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
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