Dee DeQuattro
ddequattro@abc6.com
A bill to ban synthetic drugs including so-called "bath salts" and synthetic marijuana is being heard by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The legislation was proposed by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and introduced by Rep. Joseph McNamara and Rep. Arthur Corvese in the House and Senator Stephen Archambault in the Senate.
The legislation would add synthetic drugs to the Schedule I drug list in Rhode Island.
Bath Salts and synthetic marijuana are considered to have a high potential for abuse and can agitate people to the point they become violent or delirious. Rhode Island Hospital alone has seen a large spike in the number of patients admitted for abusing bath salts in the past year alone. In 2011 4 people were hospitalized after using bath salts in 2012, 87 people were hospitalized after using bath salts.
