Community protests sale of legal synthetic drugs

A group recently occupied an area outside the D&M Market gas station in Crab Orchard, Ky., to protest its sale of synthetic drugs often bought by teenagers that can require visits to the ER, reports Katelyn Griffin of the Interior Journal in Stanford, Ky. Earlier this year, the Kentucky legislature banned sale of synthetic drugs known as bath salts, plant food and a variety of other names commonly sold in gas stations, liquor stores and on the internet. However, other forms of synthetic drugs are not included in the ban and are still being legally sold. (Photo: Katelyn Griffin)

Griffin reports most protesters agreed it was time for the community to address the issue since police can't arrest anyone for selling the products. Residents told Griffin they were in consensus that illegal drugs already create a lot of problems in the community and legal synthetic drugs simply add to that problem. Employees of the D&M Market saw the situation differently, though. They told Griffin they felt "targeted and looked down upon" because of the protest and said they were misunderstood because they don't sell the products to anyone they suspect will misuse it.

Police and residents agree that more legislation is required to keep the drugs away from teenagers. Legislation "needs to be broader to include more ingredients used to produce these substances" because "it has been easy for manufacturers to make the slightest change in structure" to keep synthetics legal, residents told Griffin. Griffin reports that "the Office of Drug Control Policy, Kentucky State Police and the Legislative Research Commission are in the progress of drafting legislation in response to this issue" for the 2012 legislative session. (Read more)