Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) is fighting to keep dangerous synthetic drugs like bath salts out of local stores and off our streets. A recent wave of crime and menace has broken out in Batavia and across the Western New York region as more people have begun abusing the chemical compound marketed as a bathing product.
Hawley voted in favor of a law banning the compound most commonly found in the substance, and a federal ban was recently instituted barring the sale and possession of the drug. Manufacturers, however, have traditionally skirted attempts to outlaw the product by tweaking the chemical composition, which has produced grave risks to health and public safety.
As a result, Assemblyman Hawley is signing on to several pieces of legislation that will strengthen New York’s ability to eliminate all forms of this dangerous substance and end the terror plaguing local communities.
“Local stores are selling products that are tearing families apart and threatening the safety of our communities,” Hawley said. “The effects that bath salts and other synthetic drugs have had on our community are all too real, with many of us knowing friends, family members and neighbors who have either succumbed to the products or been hurt by someone who has.
"We must join together in awareness and vigilance of the threats that these drugs pose and do all we can to get these products out of local stores in order to protect the upstanding members of our local community.”
Hawley is also supporting multiple bills banning the sale and distribution of synthetic cannabinoids, another harmful substance that is allowed to be sold in stores due to loopholes in state law.
These marijuana-like products are marketed as incense or potpourri and are legally sold in a variety of outlets. Dangerous side effects include hallucinations, vomiting, agitation, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure and other complications.
Hawley voted in favor of an Assembly bill banning synthetic cannabinoids and is supporting further legislation to have a ban adopted into state law.
...nice pr move by
...nice pr move by steve..however if this law gets passed,it won't do aanything to stop the abuse of bath salts.
maybe steve should call it "jason's law"
i'm so proud to live in the nanny state of new york......
hey steve,what is next? how about a curfew law?.everybody has
to be home by 9 pm..it's for your own good and safety..
Boycott the business. That
Boycott the business. That would be more effective than any new law. How long would 420. Remain in Batavia if no one patronized the store. Legislating against stupidi behavior has never worked. It becomes a game of cat and mouse between the synthetic drug makers and law enforcement which is always playing catch up. So what will be the next synthetic drug on the market once we legislate against bath salts? I would prefer to see heavy penalties for any irresponsible behavior requiring intervention by the police or medical community.
David and Jim.... If either
David and Jim....
If either of you had any idea of what this stuff does to people, and it maybe involved your children, or grand children, you'd be talking out of your mouth instead of out of your ass....
Steve Hawley is an
Steve Hawley is an outstanding Assemblyman. I saw the kind of work for he did for his district first hand in Albany. He's a fighter, he gets things done and he's always available to help. You really can't ask for much more.
Darn it! The last gulp of
Darn it! The last gulp of Sobe Life Water just spewed out my nose! Warn me before you say stuff like that!
Jim, even the libertarian
Jim, even the libertarian side of me has to apply some logic here.
If you have a business in a community that is selling a harmful product that effects the entire community, even though it's really only a small number of people who are buying the product, how would a boycott be effective?
Everybody who thinks the product is a problem isn't buying it anyway (the people likely to support a boycott) and the people buying it won't give a rip about the boycott, and the business, because the product is such a high margin, is quite happy to have 99 percent of the community boycotting the business because the one percent who buy the product is where the money is.
People who use bath salts,
People who use bath salts, smoke whatever, inject what ever know they are harming themselves, it's their choice. As long as the only ones they harm are themselves and they are adults it's their choice, put age restrictions the same as alcohol or tobacco on the products and require a license. That way morons who insist on harming themselves can exercise their rights as libertarians, conservatives can make more laws to regulate an individual's personal moral judgement and the tax man can fatten the treasury which will thrill those tax and spenders out there. It's a win win situation....
I'm not sure what ragging on
I'm not sure what ragging on Steve Hawley has to do with this story. He didn't sponsor nor did he co-sponsor the bill, he just voted in favor of it as did every legislator who voted. It passed 141-0
Its very interesting Ed thats
Its very interesting Ed thats you say that. You'll see in the article today what I heard straight from people. Clinical counselors, Rn's relatives of people who have aquired the addition to this substance as well. Let me relate to you how I feel that is is more than a personal choice. Facts first, in the last few weeks there have been numerous incidents both reported and not where bath salts have been involved. When a person is under the influence of these they become paranoid and do strange things, this takes up the time of the police, and medical personnel, so if they are involved with dealing with bath salt abusers, thats medical personnel and police that arent able to do their job because they are tied up chasing subjects across rooftops and through neighborhoods.
Now lets deal with the paranoia, it seems a very common symptom is the everyone's out to get me syndrome. We just had last week to women going at each other with knives who later claimed they didn't. People see undercover cops everywhere, and feel everyone is out to get them. So when we continue to let them use cause they are adults and they end up slaughtering a family because they thought they were gangsters out to get them. Or they wipe out a bus full of schoolchildren cause they have been up all night and think they are being chased by cops and so on. Do we really wait for that to happen before we take actions?
Now lets look at the crack cocaine crap that happened in the 90's, do we want the crime, the holdups and the violence like occured back then, bath houses where people will chase down children to steal their cell phones and lunch money? Didn't we learn our lessons back then? And the major difference is.... crack was more underground, you had to know people to get it and it was expensive. This stuff any 18 yr old can go in and ask for and get it even with it being federally illegal. Even today a couple of people said they bought it outright during the protest, it may be hearsay but they were willing togo on cam with the Austrailian reporter and say so.
So my counterpoint is, where is it only affecting the user?
Ed, The tax payer will be
Ed,
The tax payer will be forced to pay for his treatment and medical care. He's responsible for his behavior but we're forced to pay for it.
"As long as the only ones
"As long as the only ones they harm are themselves and they are adults it's their choice"
Hmmmm.......
http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/ummcs-emergency-room-handling-bath-…
http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/broadbent-one-batavia-family-learni…
http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/man-who-climbed-rooftops-held-witho…
http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/new-federal-ban-offers-hope-local-l…
Seems to me it is affecting everyone of us not only in the wallet, not only in the families that it is tearing apart but sooner or later unchecked someone innocent is going to get hurt or killed because some amped up moron as you put is going to think your an undercover FBI agent.
It could be argued that lots
It could be argued that lots of drugs have consequences beyond just the user for lots of different reasons.
What we're seeing with bath salts locally:
-- users who in an agitated paranoid state representing a danger not to themselves, but emergency responders.
-- users becoming violent with people they come to contact with when they believe they're being attacked
-- users behaving in a way that necessitates an emergency response, which in and of itself constitutes a danger to responders
-- Users falsely reporting crimes or emergency situations, which cause a chain reaction of potential dangers
-- Users depleting funds and finances that might otherwise be used for care of their families.
From everything I've learned so far, the core group of users are parolees and probationers, but there are also users who don't fit that category, including teens.
Two key issues seem tied to the prevalence in the community:
-- The belief that the drug is legal and therefore safe (we saw this directly in at least one news story we've reported, but it's also a common point I was hearing prior to this past week)
-- There appears to be a readily accessible source in the community (yes, people can buy online, but online purchases require a credit card (cash won't work, and often for many people, cash is more readily available), it creates a paper trail (parolees and probationers could have their computer searched), and, there is no immediate gratification (gotta wait for delivery).
It's also worth noting that as unregulated substances -- which is true of all illicit drugs -- people determine their own doses, but also, there is a variety of chemical mixes that produce different responses in different doses, making it much more problematic for users to dose in the most safe way possible (if there is a safe way).
Online sales should dry up pretty quickly as the Feds hone in on the now illegal compounds.
If the banned substances were not readily available locally or have become not readily available locally, it wouldn't end emergency responses to bath salts, but it's a pretty safe bet that the issue would become no more serious than meth, crack or abuse of prescription drugs.
I do believe at least through the past day or two, bath salts have been the most serious, problematic drug issue in the county. It would be progress to have the problem become something that is only on par with other drugs.
Right now, this is a community problem. It is a public safety problem. It's not just about the individual users.
Alcohol related offenses are
Alcohol related offenses are tenfold in comparison, I can't beleive that doesn't bother people, hypocritism at its best.
I think the problem will get worse, as the addicts go back to their illegal drug of choice, only to find it doesn't do the trick like salts. Get ready medical personal, police, and whoever. Banning this stuff may solve one problem, but watch what happens when the addicts start realizing the illegal drugs don't do it for them anymore.
Sorry Frank theres no
Sorry Frank theres no hypocriticism, wheres your data that alcohol related offenses are tenfold, sure if you count posession charges from concerts where the person charged doesnt need to be under the influence. But if we take stats from the city of Batavia alcohol offenses and compare them to city of Batavia's Bath salts incident arrests then you have real data. Illegal drugs do for them what they always have done, these new fad pseudodrugs like bath salts are different they are like playing russian roulette, the hooks they get into a person is almost instant. And them being legal previously and being a grey area now just allows people who use to thumb their nose at authorities. With the clock ticking on their availability we are gonna see alot more too as people beging to rush to buy and use before the window closes.
No matter how you spin it Frank the reality is that this issue is much more extreme than alcohol by far. Your opinions are yours due to your exp with alcohol, opininons arent facts, they just exsist and they are like chameleons always changing with what is observed. Whereas a fact is a fact and so far you havent given us facts, just opinions.
As a side note, why dont
As a side note, why dont everyone do a search on Bath salts incidences in NY. Besides ourselves, Syracuse, and Utica seem to have alot of incidences happening as well. In scanning the news briefly I found some common threads.....
Under the influence of bath salts category these things seem to be very common....
Stripping down from clothing, cause of burning skin hot feeling....
Hallucinations that the victim is convinced are real.... ie seeing crimes, or undercover police, even a case of snakes in house and rabid squirrels in cars.
The need to climb onto rooftops and cause a disturbance
Paranoia in the extreme...everyone is out to get them, the intensity is enough for these victims to become violent and attack children, and random bystanders.
Hiding...at least two cases where the victim barricades themselves in a bathroom, one here where the guy destroyed fixtures and one in utica where a guy took a knife or screwdriver and threatened himself with it...
And the comments are all the same from police... They are gaining alot of exp in recognizing these as indicators as the incidents are followed by investigation where either friends confirm use of bath salts, or the perpetraters admit to having used bath salts, or they find bath salts and the wrappers from them on scene of incident.
The biggest concern I have seen commonly raised by police is the danger to medical personnel, the only thing they can do at present til more laws are established is turn over to er's and mental health clinics for evals, where they endanger medical staff, or just end up escaping or walking out when they come down off the substance and no longer exhibit or show thr drug induced mania and have to be released.
And thats just NY... expand the search and see what is happening across the country as well and the correlations. Its pretty consistent and scary.
Kyle, I searched bath salts
Kyle, I searched bath salts long before 420 opened shop, I didn't limit my search to NY. I found a few instances
where the users actually harmed themselves, or others, do the same search on alcohol, better pack a lunch, you are going to be there a while.
I am not advocating the use of any drug, and I really don't care what is legal or illegal, what I do care about is people downplaying the dangers of alcohol use.
From Howards last comment,it appears there is a pattern of users, and it sounds like they had issues long before the introduction of bath salts.
Give these same people alcohol, same animal, different color.
The alcohol defense is weak, at best, it's like saying only automatic weapons are dangerous.
Kyle, go to a MADD meeting,
Kyle, go to a MADD meeting, take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth. Listen to their stories, and then compare, they feel the very same way as Mrs. Lang does, the only difference, Jason IS STILL ALIVE.
No research, no opinion, just a fact, hows that Kyle???
I absolutely despise alcohol, not becuase of my own abuse, becuase of what I have seen it do to so very many "good people".
I am appalled at the ease it can be procurred by underage users, but at the end of the day, thats my
take, not going to change !
What I have learned through the grace of God is simple : change what I can, Leave the rest to God,
and the knowledge to know which is mine.
LOL you make me laugh Frank,
LOL you make me laugh Frank, just like someone with a problem with alcohol its usesless to argue with you. No matter what you believe the fact is alcohol is not nearly as dangerous as bath salts. All you have posted in here of how dangerous alcohol is can be said of anything. Replace alcohol with chainsaw, or screwgun or even laundry soap and your argument has as much credibility. Alcohol is as dangerous as cough syrup or diet cola to most people. Only those with a problem with alcohol, seem to have issues....
but 100% of the users of bath salts are, misusing the substance as it is supposedly not designed for human consumption. If any rational human picks up the wrapper of these substances wether marketed as bath salts window cleaner, incense, plant fertilizer or dyes for tie dyng shirts you will see the not for human consumption then mixing instructions out of context with that then the other warning that is commonly used, please use responsibly. Why would someone need to be warned to use a bath salt or plant fertilizer responsibly. All these head shops are doing is working with chemists to alter damaging regulated compounds, then get them on the street and make money before authorities become wise and limit them. Its the most base of evils....greed at the cost of people and communities.
But hey let me ask you something else, alcohol has been legal since prohibition was repealed about 82 years ago? If alcohol is so bad why did every Govt that tried prohibition, end up repealing it? Also in your own tirades, you claim that law enforcement has been dealing with thousands more alcohol related offenses and problems, and I'll admit they have been since well forever. Why then are these same officers that handle all theses drunks and their incidents so much more comcerned and frustrated about these bath salts incidents and those communities that are having these bath salts incidence the police are in crisis mode over them?
Wouldnt they be the experts on how dangerous drunks are vs, crackheads, vs meth addicts, vs other kinds of addicted offenders?
Kyle, what part of any of my
Kyle, what part of any of my posts are you having a problem with, you are advocating drug use, I am advocating choice, either way, any of these substances are problematic to society, WTF is your point?
Glad to see I've humored you, it is ,after all the best medicine, but after debating with you, I
think I just OD'ed..lol..
In my best Mr. Garrison
In my best Mr. Garrison voice, " alcohol is baadd, ok?" Happy Frank? Someone acknowledged the evils of booze? It sucks you had a bad experience with liquor, but MOST people do not. Bath Salts, on the other hand, MOST people get totally fucking whacked.
I'm not minimizing the effects of alcohol, I think it is much more dangerous than pot, but the powers that be have one legal and one illegal. Too bad this discrepancy exists.
Doesnt answer the last
Doesnt answer the last question Frank....nice dodge.
I advocate drug use? Then I guess everyone that thinks it's ok to buy a sleep aid, or cough syrup, or asprin advocates drug use too..... Not a surprising accusation from you
Bud, my daughter says that is
Bud, my daughter says that is Mr. Mackey, not Mr. Garrison. Thanks, that's stuck in my head now. M'kay, kids?
Kyle , scroll down to [end],
Kyle , scroll down to [end], click y in the box marked "Game over".
Loved how the word guess, was used in your last comment, its a common theme with your posts.
Its the only word that fits
Its the only word that fits Frank...since your irrational and tunnel visioned line of thought one can only attempt guesses instead of using a more normal line of reasoning.
Bud, nothing really sucks
Bud, nothing really sucks these days, and I really don't care what anyones opinion is regarding alcohol use.
On that same note, I don't care if some parolee or ex cons snort enough bath salt to play black sabbath at 78 speed and see GOD.
When you witness a drug kill someone you love, then let me hear your opinion of that drug.