ILLINOIS - Under the Bath Salt Prohibition Act, retailers convicted of selling bath salts can have their retail license revoked.
State Representative Avery Bourne (R-Raymond) and State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker HIll) were in attendance this week when Governor Rauner signed the Act, or Senate Bill 210, into law. The two were sponsors of the bill and say this is a necessary step toward tackling an issue in many communities.
“These highly addictive synthetic drugs continue to wreak havoc on our communities and throughout the country,” Representative Bourne explains.
She adds it is her hope that this new law will limit access and spark discussions on how to continue to fight this epidemic.
Under the new law, not only could those convicted lose their licenses, but guilty offenders can be charged with a Class 3 Felony.
These synthetic drugs, classified as cathinones, more commonly known as “bath salts,” are intoxicating and unpredictable in their effects. They are typically sold under the guise of bath salts, plant food and jewelry cleaner. Bath salts were technically legal until 2011, but certain ingredients were banned starting in 2011.
That ban was a result of House Bill 2089, passed by Representative Wayne Rosenthal to help crack down on drug use.
Senator Manar explains, “[Senate Bill 210] simply gives [States Attorneys] a few more tools to battle what is a growing problem in rural areas of the state, the use of bath salts.”
