5 Aug 2013
Designer drugs have been around for some time. They generally consist of synthetic substances that mimic the effects of one or more standard drugs, and provide the euphoria or other effect that users look for. We’ve reported in the past (see our blog of June 8, 2012 entitled Police Say Bridge Jumper was High on Bath Salts) on drugs such as bath salts, ecstasy and others. Perhaps the most well-known of all is synthetic marijuana, known on the street as “K-2” or “spice.”
Law enforcement has had a couple of difficulties dealing with these substances, as they emerge from underground chemical labs. The first is keeping up with the ingredients. In that regard, the chemical composition of the various designer drugs changes, in response to new laws outlawing some of them. As a result, a new substance with the same effect as a banned product is often developed and on the street long before the feds or the local authorities even know it exists. Bath salts and synthetic marijuana have been around for years, but were not banned in Texas until 2011. A bill making the substances illegal under federal law was not signed into law by the President until the middle of last year.
The second problem, which relates to the subject matter of today’s blog, is the lack of standard testing methods for identifying one or more of these substances in a person’s body. This affects not only law enforcement, but also employers and parents who may want to have their employees/children tested. You may recall reading articles where bizarre behavior is blamed on a drug such as bath salts, but no one really knows what the person may have ingested, because a reliable blood or urine test was not available.
According to the report we read, a clinic in Austin, known as Texas MedClinic, is now offering testing services to employers, parents and those required to be tested for drugs under a court order. The tests will cover not only standard items such as cocaine and marijuana, but also designer drugs such as K2 or spice, and bath salts.
Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
1205 Rio Grande Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737