The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has taken its message about the dangers of synthetic drugs to YouTube by producing an informational video on the use of bath salts and spice, including details about what the drugs look like and how they are marketed.
Lt. Laz Chavez warns that these highly dangerous drugs having misleading packaging. Packages will be colorful with cartoon characters on them, often with labels that say “not for human consumption” as if they are plants or other household products.
Bath salts and spice are synthetic versions of cocaine and marijuana, with chemicals that are hard for narcotic specialists to detect. Chavez says chemists are constantly changing the drug compound makeup, causing the police to always be playing catch-up.
These designer drugs are putting lives in danger. According to Metro Police, a person on bath salts can exhibit bizarre and violent behavior far more severe than the effects of PCP. The recent outbreak of designer drugs in the United States has led to violent cannibal-like cases over the past few months.
Las Vegas was among 109 cities targeted in a nationwide crackdown on the production and consumption of designer drugs in the United States. More than 19 million packets of synthetic drugs were seized and 90 people arrested.
Las Vegas has also seen an increase in domestic violence thus far in 2012. Although evidence is inconclusive, there may be a correlation between synthetic drug use and violence in Las Vegas.
It is important to understand the dangers of these synthetic drugs, especially with them being legally available. Smoke shops produce new drugs that aren’t banned yet so they can continue to stay ahead of the laws. If you or a loved one has been arrested because of these synthetic drugs, contact a Las Vegas Criminal defense lawyer who understands the misconceptions about these drugs. We understand that people make mistakes, a lot of times they don’t know the dangers of these synthetic substances. Call our team of Las Vegas attorneys, we give all of our prospective clients a free consultation.
