BOISE -- A bill was brought to the House Judiciary and Rules Committee Monday to ban the sale and use of synthetic, designer drugs, specifically referred to as “bath salts."
Office of Drug Policy director Debbie Field introduced the bill Monday.
“This is something I really do believe we need to act on and help protect our citizens,” said Field.
The concern is that the chemicals in bath salts have the same effects of methamphetamine, ecstasy or cocaine when smoked, injected or eaten.
The committee unanimously agreed to print the bill, which means in just a few weeks these synthetic drugs, like bath salts could be made illegal in Idaho.
One Treasure Valley mom has been keeping a close eye on this legislation. She knows all too well the dangers of bath salts.
“If you haven't heard of them, I hope you don't have to see somebody on these because it's horrible,” said a mom who did not want to be identified.
She says her 19-year-old son almost died after snorting bath salts, which aren't salts for your bath at all, but rather a dangerous hallucinogenic drug.
“They're deadly -- they're not a bath salt, you're not going to sit and soak in them, that's not their actual purpose,” said the mom.
She returned home from an overnight trip about two weeks ago to find her son acting strangely. He admitted to snorting bath salts. The family monitored him through the day, but things got much worse.
“His symptoms were getting worse and worse and worse and by night time I took him to St. Luke's and he was flailing, he had no control over his own body, he was flailing horribly, his blood pressure and his heart rate and everything were just off the charts,” said the mom.
She took him to the emergency room where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. That's where he remained for almost three days while his body recovered from the drug.
“It's not something you would want anyone else have to go through, and to see your child like that your child laying in the hospital and not in control of himself and incoherent, it's not pleasant,” said the mom.
This mother now wants to warn other parents of the dangers of these synthetic drugs, and says she doesn't want to have to see anyone else get hurt.
“We would have never dreamed, never have dreamed that our son was going to be addicted to drugs and these have done, I mean even though he's done other drugs before, these particular ones seem to have the strongest hold on him, these bath salts,” said the mom.
The young man's mom says he is now undergoing treatment at a private facility for drug addiction.
The bill does have an emergency clause in it, meaning if it does make it to the governor's desk as soon as it is signed, it will be made law immediately.
