WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) said he's pleased to see state government take a "critical step" by banning so-called bath salts, but is "disappointed that Washington has not moved with similar speed to pass a national ban."
Earlier this year, Casey endorsed and co-sponsored the Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act (S.409).
"It is time to enact that legislation," he said in a statement issued Thursday. "In addition, the DEA should also use its authority to take these drugs off the streets. This is a grave threat to our communities, and the time for action is now."
S-409 would immediately add the ingredients in bath salts to the list of controlled substances.
In a letter to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart in March, Casey pointed to recent DEA action to ban synthetic marijuana as precedent to take immediate action against the drugs in bath salts. Casey also supports legislation to give the DEA more flexibility to quickly remove dangerous substances from the market.
The Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2011 (S. 605) would amend the Controlled Substances Act, doubling the timeframe the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services have to emergency schedule substances from 18 months to 36 months.