Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2012

SCHUMER LEGISLATION BANNING BATH SALTS AND 29 OTHER DEADLY SYNTHETIC SUBSTANCES PASSES CONGRESS; LIFE-SAVING MEASURE NOW HEADED TO PRESIDENT’S DESK FOR SIGNATURE

Schumer Legislation Will Add 31 Substances to List of Controlled Substances and Stop Legal Sales of 'Bath Salts,' Synthetic Marijuana, and Synthetic Hallucinogens in Western New York & The United States; Federal Law Is Critical To Combat Scourge With United Front, Particularly Across State Lines

Schumer Has Led the Charge in Banning Synthetic Substances For Over A Year – Amendment Passes as Part of Larger FDA Bill

Schumer: The Market For Deadly Synthetic Drugs Is Now Closed

Today, United States Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the U.S. Senate has passed powerful new drug legislation that would permanently ban the deadly chemical compounds marketed and sold as bath salts and incense in the United States. Schumer successfully fought to include three bills relating to synthetic substances – S. 409 (Bath Salts), S. 605 (Synthetic Marijuana) and S. 839 (Synthetic Hallucinogens) – as part of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act. Schumer and his colleagues were able to pass this ban over the strenuous objections of Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).

“Let this be a warning to those who make a profit manufacturing and selling killer chemical components to our teens and children in western New York: the jig is up,” said Schumer. “This bill closes loopholes that have allowed manufacturers to circumvent local and state bans and ensures that you cannot simply cross state lines to find these deadly bath salts and synthetic marijuana. We have seen bath salts catalyze some of the most heinous crimes in recent months and President Obama’s signature will ensure that the federal government can fight this scourge with a united front, across state lines and at our borders.”

Schumer’s bath salt legislation will specifically ban MDPV (methylenedioxypyrovalerone) and mephedrone, the active ingredients in bath salts and are now being sold online, at convenience stores, and in smoke shops under names like Tranquility, Zoom, Ivory Wave, Red Dove, Legal Phunk and Vanilla Sky. According to numerous reports, the chemicals found in bath salts cause effects similar to those caused by cocaine and methamphetamines, including hallucinations, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts. In one case a user was reported to have resorted to self-mutilation after abusing the substance. In several cases, users have died after overdosing or because of violent behavior.

Schumer’s legislation would make bath salts illegal in the United States by adding the active ingredients, MDPV and mephedrone, to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which classifies drugs that are illegal and cannot be prescribed under any circumstances. In addition to MDPV and mephedrone, there are 29 other substances that Schumer’s bill bans.

Schumer's federal ban will help put an end to synthetic drug use in western New York. Recently some high profile local cases have demonstrated the need for this important legislation, including a case in Niagara Falls where a 21-year-old man was charged with allegedly raping a teenage girl after the two smoked synthetic marijuana. There have also been reports of inmates at the Collins Correctional Facility trying to pass synthetic marijuana to each other and recent local raids by law enforcement have demonstrated that these synthetic substances are available throughout western New York. Schumer visited Buffalo in March and was joined by local law enforcement as he pressed for passage of this legislation. Schumer's legislation will help prevent the influx of these insidious substances and the subsequent rise in criminal activity related to synthetic drugs in western New York.

Below are a list of all 31 substances that Schumer’s legislation would ban on a federal level:

A) Synthetic Marijuana:

1. 2-(3-hydroxycyclohexyl)phenol with substitution at the 5-position of the phenolic ring by alkyl or alkenyl, whether or not substituted on the cyclohexyl ring to any extent.

2. 3-(1-naphthoyl)indole or 3-(1-naphthylmethane)indole by substitution at the nitrogen atom of the indole ring, whether or not further substituted on the indole ring to any extent, whether or not substituted on the naphthoyl or naphthyl ring to any extent.

3. 3-(1-naphthoyl)pyrrole by substitution at the nitrogen atom of the pyrrole ring, whether or not further substituted in the pyrrole ring to any extent, whether or not substituted on the naphthoyl ring to any extent.

4. 1-(1-naphthylmethylene)indene by substitution of the 3-position of the indene ring, whether or not further substituted in the indene ring to any extent, whether or not substituted on the naphthyl ring to any extent.

5. 3-phenylacetylindole or 3-benzoylindole by substitution at the nitrogen atom of the indole ring, whether or not further substituted in the indole ring to any extent, whether or not substituted on the phenyl ring to any extent.

6. 5-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol (CP-47,497);

7. 5-(1,1-dimethyloctyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol (cannabicyclohexanol or CP-47,497 C8-homolog);

8. 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-018 and AM678);

9. 1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-073);

10. 1-hexyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-019);

11. 1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-200);

12. 1-pentyl-3-(2-methoxyphenylacetyl)indole (JWH-250);

13. 1-pentyl-3-[1-(4-methoxynaphthoyl)]indole (JWH-081);

14. 1-pentyl-3-(4-methyl-1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-122);

15. 1-pentyl-3-(4-chloro-1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-398);

16. 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (AM2201);

17. 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(2-iodobenzoyl)indole (AM694);