Pubdate: Tue, 09 Apr 2013 Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) Copyright: 2013 The Arizona Republic Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24 Page: B8 Curbing Dangerous Synthetic Drugs 3 CHEERS FOR 'BATH SALTS' LAW Legal high? Try yoga. Go for a hike. But don't try to buy synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as marijuana or methamphetamine. It's dangerous. Besides, it just got harder. Gov. Jan Brewer's signature on a bill sponsored by Rep. Eddie Farnsworth is the latest effort to give law enforcement the tools necessary to keep designer drugs off the store shelves. These "legal" highs are psychoactive drugs that produce unpredictable reactions. Emergency-room doctors say they don't always know how to treat the bizarre symptoms. Using this stuff can cause permanent psychological and physical damage. Not to mention death. But to users, these synthetic drugs can appear safe because they can be legally purchased - albeit not for the express purpose of getting high. They are marketed as incense (wink, wink) or other innocuous-sounding products. Also known as spice or bath salts, these synthetic highs have remained legally available because the pushers - oops, manufacturers - - could tweak the formulas slightly to get around previous bans. This new ban is designed to provide more flexibility to go after a big danger for Arizona. The new law reflects a concerted effort by Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk and the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council to find an approach lawmakers could embrace. That's done. And it's an effort worth celebrating. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom