Burlington, Vermont - December 16, 2011
Vermont has added a new drug to its
list of outlawed substances. As of Dec. 16, it is illegal to buy, sell or make
a dangerous hallucinogenic called bath salts.
The state amended its regulated drug
rule to include bath salts and five other synthetic designer drugs.
The Northern New England Poison Center
has dealt with nearly 200 cases of bath salt abuse. Of those, 147 were in
Maine, 35 in New Hampshire and 11 in Vermont.
Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn
says Vermont does not have a serious problem with bath salts, but the best
strategy is to ban the substance before it gets a foothold in the state.
The drugs can cause complications
including intense paranoia, high fever, seizures, muscle breakdown, kidney
failure, heart rhythm disturbances and death.
Gov. Peter Shumlin issued an emergency ban on bath salts
earlier this year after WCAX News first reported their presence in Vermont.
Related Stories:
Temporary ban on 'bath salts' in Vermont
Why Vt. police are worried about 'bath salts'
