LAS VEGAS -- The synthetic drugs known as "bath salts" are being banned in Nevada. The Nevada Pharmacy Board approved an emergency order Thursday that will make it illegal to make, sell or use the products.
Street names for the bath salts include Vanilla Sky, Ivory Wave and Ocean Burst. They can cause heart palpitations, paranoia, and even violent acts. Metro's crime lab saw 72 cases last year involving the six primary chemicals in the so-called bath salts.
However, the fear remains that -- even with the ban -- drug makers will figure out new chemical combinations to make and sell the drugs.
"Everybody needs to know these compounds, the bath salts and the synthetic cannabinoids, there are literally tens maybe even hundreds of them, they just change the molecules around. We'll name one the crime labs can identify and they just alter the structure and move on," said Larry Pinson, Nevada Pharmacy Board.
Metro Police have seen a rise in the number of companies operating with a business license and manufacturing and distributing the synthetic drugs. In November, narcotics officers busted a warehouse on Highland Drive that was producing 1,000 pounds of synthetic drugs a month.
What's different about the synthetic drugs is that they are not regulated by the FDA and the packets clearly state, "Not for human consumption."
A legislative commission will meet next month to approve the ban before it becomes law. Once that happens, the so-call bath salts will be removed from store shelves.
