Bill would ban drug-like chemicals dubbed 'bath salts'

The feds are cracking down on a new designer drug, called “bath salts,” that has been linked to deaths across the U.S.

A federal bill announced Sunday would ban certain chemicals that drug users are substituting for cocaine and ecstasy.

“The so-called ‘bath salts’ are nothing more than deadly narcotics,” said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who is introducing the legislation.

Active ingredients in the products’ powders – mephedrone and MDPV – have already been banned in states such as Louisiana and Florida. Schumer said the chemicals are sold online and in stores as “bath salts” and “plant food” when in reality they are being produced for drug users and are not the same ingredients that are in actual bath salts.

Users typically snort the chemicals, which stimulate the central nervous system and create hallucinations, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. They have been linked to deaths across the country, including the fatal shooting of a Mississippi sheriff in December by a man who admitted he was high on bath salts.