BAN OF DANGEROUS SYNTHETIC DRUGS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT Elizabeth Hudgins: 919-707-5626

May 26, 2011

BAN OF DANGEROUS SYNTHETIC DRUGS GOES INTO EFFECT JUNE 1 RALEIGH: A ban of various dangerous synthetic drugs goes into effect in North Carolina on June 1, 2011. It will be illegal to sell, manufacture or possess synthetic cannabinoids, MPDV, or mephedrone.

These drugs have been sold legally, often labeled as incense, bath salts, or plant food.

The Child Fatality Task Force commends the General Assembly for passing and the Governor for signing this law which will help protect youth and adults from these dangerous chemicals. “These are dangerous substances with troubling side effects. They aren’t safe and soon won’t be legal either,” said Elizabeth Hudgins, Executive Director of the Child Fatality Task Force.

Sale and manufacture will be a felony; possession charges will vary depending on the amount of the substance.

Use has been growing rapidly. For example, the Carolinas Poison Center reported as many calls on MDPV – a synthetic cocaine – in the first 2 months of 2011 as in all of 2010 combined. Use is especially prevalent in Cumberland and Onslow Counties.

Legislators heard from doctors, parents, law enforcement and others as they discussed the ban.

At least 28 states have banned one or more of these substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration recently added synthetic cannabinoids to their controlled substance list.