CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners and the Lawrence Township, Clearfield Borough and DuBois City police departments have teamed up with plans to organize a Public Awareness Committee to combat synthetic drugs.
“I’m concerned as a commissioner and as a mother,” Commissioner Chairwoman Joan Robinson-McMillen said. “I want to bring awareness because synthetic drugs are more dangerous than those that they mimic.
“We cannot have people using and abusing our children like this. We need to protect our children; they’re our most precious assets.”
K2, Spice, herbal incenses, bath salts and other synthetic cannabinoids are “perfectly legal” and can be found for sale in local “head shops and convenience stores,” according to Officer Mike Morris of the LTPD.
“There isn’t anything to prevent the sale of these products to anyone 18 years or older. But it trickles down, you know. They have friends who are 16 and 17 years old, and those kids have friends who are 14 and 15 years old,” he said.
Morris recalled recent incidences handled by local police departments. In one case, someone had mixed bath salts and heroin; in another it was a combination of a prescription medication and spice.
According to him, a Luzerne County judge signed an injunction Monday, banning the sale of bath salts. Synthetic chemicals have also been banned at the state level in Louisiana, Florida and North Dakota.
“In Louisiana, kids are now crossing into Mississippi (to purchase the synthetic drugs),” he said. “We need to educate ourselves and the public and see what can be done here.”
Morris said anyone who is currently found under the influence of synthetic drugs can at most be cited for public intoxication, while laws specifically apply to alcohol and controlled substances. The Clearfield County Jail cannot always house these individuals, and they’re sometimes left to “detox” at the hospital.
Warning signs are similar to marijuana, but in high doses, users of synthetic drugs experience severe hallucinations. Around the house, family and friends may notice pipes, cigarette rolling paper, etc.
Bath salts are usually snorted or injected by the user who may experience dilated or constricted pupils. They may also have apparent cold symptoms, such as excessive sniffling. Only their eyes and nose are affected by the symptoms, he said.
Morris said a German study revealed some synthetic drug labels listed chemicals but when tested a different chemical make-up was determined. He said what’s on the label isn’t always what the user is getting.
Commissioner Mark B. McCracken suggested that the county investigate the possibilities of enacting a ban similar to that in Luzerne County. Morris noted that synthetic drugs have been banned at all military academies.
The commissioners would like law officials, educators, members of the legal community and parents to become active with the Public Awareness Committee. Letters of interest should be submitted to the commissioner’s office, 212 East Locust St., Suite 112, Clearfield, PA 16830.
