Laws are created and laws change. They need to keep up with the changes in a given society, and keeping up can be difficult at times. Florida officials are reportedly struggling to get a handle on a growing trend not only in Florida but throughout the U.S.: so-called fake drugs.

If a drug is fake, then why worry about it? In recent years, some manufacturers have come up with ways to create synthetic products that supposedly mimic the physical effects of other real and illegal drugs. Examples of the synthetic drugs are "bath salts" and "Spice." The products are not as safe as they sound, and authorities are trying to get the laws to reflect that.

According to news reports, bath salts are created to cause the same sort of high as cocaine, whereas Spice and other products like it are referred to as synthetic marijuana. In the past, such synthetic products have been legally sold in stores. Their chemical compounds do not fit into Florida drug laws' definition of what constitutes an illegal substance.

The synthetic drugs' availability has led to people, young and old, getting their hands on the substances and suffering from reported drug overdoses. That danger inspired federal officials to ban certain chemicals found in the synthetic drugs in order to combat the growing danger throughout the country.

But this is the country of innovation, and recent Florida reports indicate that drug manufacturers continue to tinker with chemical compounds to create synthetic substances that officials have not yet classified as illegal or controlled. The constant innovation means that people are still able to sell, buy and use the fake drugs without legal consequence.

Authorities, of course, are trying to be equally innovative and come up with ways to more easily classify substances as illegal so they can more efficiently make drug arrests. We will post an update as there are developments in this matter.

Source

Wptv.com: "Fake weed and fake cocaine makers skirt Florida bans," Alexia Campbell, Nov. 7, 2011