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., I
tao SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2012
Gary Craig Staff writer
" In 2011 and the early months of 2012, emergen-cy rooms across the state were seeing a frightening spike in visits from people who had ingested so-called synthetic drugs.
Nationally, the story was the same. In 2010, poison control centers across the country fielded almost 3,000 calls about a popular synthetic drug known as "bath salts." In 2011, that number doubled, as did calls about the use of synthetic marijuana.
The effects of some of the drugs were scary: seizures, significant leaps in body temperatures, cardiac systems fluctuating at a dangerous pace, psychotic episodes. · ·
The substances were a legal anomaly: chemical creations designed t.o mimic illegal narcotics but that were not always illegal themselves.
HORNELL WINS 50TH CONSECUTIVE .-nnTDI\11 rAIUI~
See DRUGS, Page 6A
BREAKING NEWS 24/1 AT DEMOCRATANDCHRONICLE.COM A GA ·'
A steep decline Since a state crackdown on synthetic drugs, the number of calls to the Upstate Poison . Control Center about a popular synthetic drug, bath salts, ~as dropped significantly.
Calls to Poison Control Center The center serves 54 N.Y. counties
112
SOURCE: Upstate Poison Control Center ·································-··---············ ·
KEVIN M. SMITH/GRAPHICS EDITOR
GROWING PROFIT, NOT JUST CROPS Aariculture in the Rochester
ON VETERANS, DAY, SURVIVORS REFLEc· »Terry Heise moves on after inj »Remembering a brutal war's E Left: Terry Heise after he was injured by an JED in Afghanistan. PHOTO BY LINDA DAVIDSON, THE WASHINGTON POST
INSIDE . Masquerades: Synthetic drugs come in many forms, 6A Divi~ed on drugs: Nation apparently of two minds on drug war, 21A
Below, a designer drug packet, this one marketed as "incense."
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red-1: viola Some work officers get
·Brian Sharp Staff writer
City employee, running red lights met with varied show - from ver seling" to $50 fine sion.
The city has dis ployees, an almo~ Police Departme1 employees, accorc nal reports filed 01 public.
With one excep· ment employees rl contrast, public fines or lost wag where records sh< sued.
Public works "' level of disciplin Deputy Mayor Le1 lice is, you know, stronger than it's ·
.Police attribut' ferent rules unde tracts. And, in s1 straints on when <
posed had or had partment spokesr
The Democrat ported on the er September, obtai tions through an City officials' ac ternal process for tions and requiri coincided with tht icle's request fo The first such re1 October. The cit) late last week.
The citation
t?t•i•H 9 Q 9 .t. Click on this story at Chronicle.com to v this issue, including lations, and a map c
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Page 6A Sunday, November 11, 2012
Drugs Continued from Page 1A
But now, after a state crackdown on the drugs and heightened law enforcement; the tide may have turned.
"There seems to be a drop (in the use)," said Jennifer Faringer, there-
Jennifer Faringer
. gion's director of DePaul's Na-
, tional Coun-cil on Alcoholi~m and Drug Dependence. "It's really ·good to hear."
Clear successes in the battle against illicit substances seem few and far be- · tween. But in the case of synthetic drugs, a quick and coordinated response from police, treatment providers, chemists who could determine the makeup of the drugs, and lawmakers was key to the assault.
''While we were somewhat surprised by the rapid momentum of these types of drugs (appearing locally), there was a coordination between DEA chemists and local laboratories and law enforcement to address these drugs in an equally rapid way," said Assistant U.S. Attorn~y Douglas Gregory.
''We're really seeing dramatic reductions," said Dr. Timothy Wiegand, the toxicology director at the University of Rochester Medical Cen-ter. .
In August, the state De- . partment of Health instituted a ban, making it a violation to sell or possess synthetic drugs, which included bath salts and synthetic marijuap.a. The state Attorriey General's Office also attacked smoke shops, fining them for selling mislabeled or unlabeled products, which are also commonly known as designer drugs.
Smoke shops openly · sold the substances until
the ban, which can lead to significant fines. Now, however, with the shops no longer peddling the drugs, the use of synthetic drugs is on the decline.
Law enforcement efforts may also be paying dividends. Federal criminal laws encompass the synthetic drugs, while state statutes don't.
Wielding the federal laws, the Drug Enforcement Administration has undertaken investigations <,J.cross the region, including one-using an Internet sting - that led to the arrest of a Texas man alleged to be a distributor of bath salts.
The investigations are making a dent in the trafficking of the substances, said Tim Kernan, the Rochester region's DEA director.
"The consensus is we've had a couple of good · cases around here," he said.
The ·upstate Poison Control Center, which fields medical calls from mostofupstateNewYork, received 112 calls in July from medical providers about individuals who'd possi)Jly ingested bath salts.
That ntunber dropped to 33 in August, 20 in Sep-
Before the crackdown, b¥~th sal~ at left and synthetic marijuana, right, were sold at smoke shops. CARLos ORTIV STAFF. PHOTOGRAPHER
KEY FINDINGS »Since a state ban on the sale of synthetic or designer drugs this past summer, emergency rooms have seen a dramatic decline in cases stemming from the use of the substances. »Similarly, police have· seen a drop in new criminal cases involving the drugs since the ban went into effect. » The Internet still provides a market for the drugs, so the effort to curb use of them jsn't over.
GO DEEPER ON DIGITAL To see a video reJ'lOrt on this topic, cli<Ok on this article at DemocratandChronicle. com.
Criminal cases
In July 2011, a 25-yearold Rochester resident, Andrew Russell, backed into a police car on Averill A venue. Police noticed · the smell of marijuana, and found a small amount of pot on Russell.
They searched his .car. He had nearly $2,000 on him. Police found scales typically used for weighing drugs and a book bag holding three vacuumsealed plastic bags. The bags wer.e filled with a white powder.
Police assumed the powder was a drug- perhaps cocaine - and sent it to the crime lab.
"Their field tests came back negative," said federal prosecutor Gregory.
Unable to pinpoint the powder, they used a federal law enforcement lab in Virginia for testing. There, the powder was identified as an analog of the stimulant methcathinone.
New York state laws didn't capture the substance as illegal. However, federal laws did.
The federal "Analog Act," from 1986, allows law enforcement to treat
the analogs of illegal substances as themselves illegal, as long as they can.
Designer drugs often COme in lurid packaging. CARLOS ORTIVSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Russell's life had been tough. He'd come from a broken home and been diagnosed with Asperger· syndrome, attention deficit disorder and other learning disabilities at a young age, records show.
Russell discovered synthetic drugs online, and he found that Rochester provided a thriving market.
"Prompted by an initial mistaken belief -:- fueled by Internet articles -that synthetic drugs were
· not illegal if they differed chemically from controlled substances, Andrew soon became obseSsed with analog drugs and - with the singlemindedness typical of someone . afflicted with Asperger syndrome- he acquired these · substances and distributed them with increasing frequency," Russell's attorney, William Easton, wrote in court papers.
In June, Russell pleaded guilty to illegal possession of the synthetic drug. A federal judge in October sentenced him to 41 months.
During the past year, a handful of federal investi-
sting, buying what they allege were bath salts online from the man- Dung LamLe.
Le is now accused in federal court in Rochester of distributing bath salts.
The . criminal cases were a message to local and federal police of the growing market for synthetic drugs. That was a message emergency room doctors were already getting in full force.
"It just exploded," Gregory said. "It sort of caught people off guard,
· both law enforcement and· consumers, unfortunate
. ly, who didn't know what it was they were taking."
'Kids with seizures'
About the end of 2010 and into 2011, area emerc gency rooms were seeing an increase in young people who had ingested synthetic drugs or synthetic marijuana.
Smoke shops were selling the substances, packaged as if they were to be used for something other than consumption. Some were packaged as insect repellent; others as pot-
synthetic drugs were powerful, he said.
Some young people demonstrated schizophrenic-like symptoms.
Others appeared psychotic.
''We had a lot of kids that had seizures," Wiegand said.
Many of Dr. Timothy the users Wiegand wanted
nothing to do with the ·drugs after one episode, he said.
"I can't even recall anybody saying they enjoyed the . experience," Wiegand said.
Said DePaul's Faringer: ''We were hearing from so many that the high was not pleasant at all."
Reacting to the growing problem, treatment providers circulated information to schools, youths and parents. Then, after Gov. Ancl.rew Cuomo, the Attorney General's Office and the state Department of Health slartuned the door on smoke shop sales with the ban and other enforce-
DemocratandChronicle.com
not want to be named when discussing the ban. Police say they're trying to keep alert to the possibility that some shops will continue to sell the products, just not off of the shelves. ·
A woman interviewed atthe Smoke on the Water shop in the city said the shop did stop selling the products after the ban and has seen a drop in revenue because of it.
The shop now has turned to "a lot of natural products" that can be used to cope with every- · thing from sleeplessness to anxiety, she said.
'Not like meth'
. James Wesley, · the drug chemistry supervisor at the Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory, · also was taken aback by the swiftness with which the synthetic drugs ap-
. peared in the community. "I've been doing drug
testing for 35 years and I've never seen anything like this," he said.
Lawmakers have struggled with how to craft laws that create a wide enough net to capture all of the possible synthetic drugs.
"These are not like meth made in a bathtub," Wesley said. "These . are complicated substances . that need engineers and chemists to produce ·them."
The drugs typically originate in India or China, DEA officials say. Europe is often a popular testing ground, then they make their way to · the United States. ·
There has 'been a push to change New York's laws to capture many of the synthetic drugs, but they morph so quickly that lawmakers find it difficult to stay ahead of the drug manufacturers.
Ray Benitez, who >
heads the drunken driving division of the Monroe County District Attorney's Office, said law enforcement can be hamstrung by the curr~nt laws.
For instance, he said, there are current c.ases in which drivers are accused of . mixing alcohol with a synthetic drug. But, he ·said, there are questions as to whether the laws that address the combination of alcohol and substances can be used when synthetic drugs are part of the equa~ tion.
"There are cases out there where we have that problem," he said.
The manufacturers "are purposefUlly looking for drugs that are not defined as controlled substance by the law," he said. The . federal Controlled Substances Act regulates drugs.
Police also recognize that the drugs are still widely available over the Internet. That market could be tougher to tackle, they say.
Law enforcement officials say they're heartened by the clear drop-off / they've seen in the marketing of synthetic drugs. But, they say, they wouldn't be surprised if something new bursts on-to the scene.
"Somebody's getting real creative out there making this stuff," Gregory said.
"The bad !mVS that are
· sold the substances· until the ban, which can lead to significant fines. Now, however, with the shops no longer peddling the drugs, the use of synthetic drugs is on the decline.
Law enforcement efforts may also be paying dividends. Federal criminal laws encompass the synthetic drugs, while state statutes don't.
Wielding the federal laws, the Drug Enforcement Administration has undertaken investigations <,J.Cross the region, including one - using an Internet sting - that led to the arrest of a Texas man alleged to be a distributor of bath salts.
The investigations are making a dent in the trafficking of the substances, saia Tim Kernan, the Rochester region's DEA director.
"The consensus is we've had a coup'le of good · cases around here," he said.
The Upstate Poison Control Center, which fields medical calls from most of upstate New York, received 112 calls in July from medical providers about individuals who'd possil:>ly ingested bath salts.
That nillnber dropped to 33 in August, 20 in September and three in October.
The calls about synthetic marijuana have seen similar declines.
Wiegand said that, after a year of constantly confronting cases of people suffering from side effects of synthetic mari- . juana, he has not seen a similar case in months.
Andrew Russell, backed into a police car on Averill A venue. Police noticed · the smell of marijuana, and found a small amount of pot on Russell.
They searched his .car. He had nearly $2,000 on him. Police found scales typically u~ed for weighing drugs and a book bag holding three vacuumsealed plastic bags. The bags were filled with a white powder.
Police assumed the powder was a drug - perhaps cocaine-and sent it to the crime lab.
"Their field tests came back negative," said federal prosecutor Gregory.
Unable to pinpoint the powder, they used a federal law enforcement lab in Virginia for testing. There, the powder was identified as an anruog of the stimulant methcathinone.
New York state laws didn't capture the substance as illegal. However, federal laws did.
The federal "Analog Act," from 1986, allows law enforcement to treat
Douglas Gregory
the analogs of illegal substances as themselves illegal, as long as they can prove that they were being sold for human consump
tion. Using that law, the DEA took over the investigation into Russell's activ-ities. ~
"That's why we were able to prosecute," Gregory said.
Designer drugs often come in lurid packaging. CARLOS ORTIZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Russell's life had been tough. He'd come from a broken home and been diagnosed with Asperger· syndrome, attention deficit disorder and other learning disabilities at a young age, records show.
Russell discovered synthetic drugs online, and he found that Rochester provided a thriving market.
"Prompted by an initial mistaken belief - fueled by Internet articles -¢at synthetic drugs were
· not illegal if they differed chemically from controlled substances, Andrew soon became obsessed with analog drugs and - with the singlemindedness typical of someone afflicted with Asperger syndrome- he acquired these · substances and distributed them with increasing frequency," Russell's attorney, William Easton, wrote in court papers.
In June, Russell pleaded guilty to illegal possession of the synthetic drug. A federal judge in October sentenced him to 41 months.
During the past year, a handful of f~deral investigations - including one that led to raids on smokeshops across the region - revealed the inroads synthetic drugs had made into the community.
The arrest of a Rochester man accused of selling bath salts provided the DEA . with a possible source in Texas. Investi-
. gators initiated a reverse
stillg, buying what they allege were bath salts online from the man - Dung LamLe.
Le is now accused in federal court in Rochester of distributing bath salts.
The . criminal cases were a message to local and federal police of the growing market for synthetic drugs. That was a message emergency room doctors were already getting in full force.
"It just exploded," Gregory said. "It sort of caught people off guard,
· both law enforcement and· consumers, unfortunate
. ly, whodidn'tknowwhatit was they were taking."
'Kids with seizures•
About the end of 2010 and into 2011, area emerc gency rooms were seeing an increase in young people who had ingested synthetic drugs or synthetic marijuana.
Smoke shops were selling the substances, packaged as if they were to be used for something other than consumption. Some were packaged as insect repellent; others as potpourri.
Because they were sold openly, many people mistakenly believed them to be safe, said Wiegand of ~ URMC.
"The perceptioJl was this was available in a store so it technically wasn't a drug," Wiegand said.
But the effects of the
synthetic drugs were powerful, he said.
Some young people demonstrated schizophrenic-like symptoms.
Others appeared psychotic.
"We had a lot of kids that had seizures" Wiegand~aid.
Many of Dr. Timothy the users Wiegand wanted
nothing to do with the ·drugs after one episode, he said.
"I can't even recall anybody saying they enjoyed the . experience," Wiegand said. ·
Said DePaul's . Faringer: "We were hearing from so many that the high was not pleasant at all."
Reacting to the growing problem, treatment providers circulated information to schools, youths and parents. Then, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Attorney General's Office and the state Department of Health slammed the door on smoke shop sales with the ban and other enforcement, the number of emergency-room visits significantly dropped.
"I don't recall anything like these so-called designer drugs," Faringer said. "They came on the scene so quickly, escalated so quickly and changed so quickly."
Local smoke shop employees and owners did
· For instance, he said, there are current c.ases in which drivers are accused of . mixing alcohol with a synthetic drug. But, he said, there are questions as to whether the laws that address the combination of alcohol and substances can be used when synthetic drugs are part of the equa~ tion.
"There are cases out there where we have that problem,'; he said.
The manufacturers "are purposefully looking for drugs that are not defined as co,ntrolled substance by the law," he said. The . federal Controlled Substances Act regulates drugs.
Police also recognize that the drugs are still widely available over the Internet. That market could be tougher to tackle, they say.
Law enforcement officials say they're heartened by the clear drop-off / they've seen in the marketing of synthetic drugs. But, they say, they wouldn't be surprised if something new bursts on-to the scene.
"Somebody's getting real creative out there making this stuff,'' Gregory said.
"The bad guys that are making this stuff are continually trying to tweak
· the chemical substances in order to circumvent the Controlled Substances Act."
Twitter.cornlgcraig1
Synthetic drugs often marketed for household uses Gal'}' Craig Staff writer
Synthetic drugs have been marketed as everything from bath salts :one of the more popular versions - to deodorizers. and fertilizer.
But, with ·names like "Zoom" and "Purple . Wave,'' and wrappers that featwe everything from
wildly drawn cartoori characters to buxom women, the packaging of the products belies the claims of household uses.
For instance, one popular synthetic · drug is called "Eight Ballz," similar to a common cocainerelated term. That drug was portrayed as a glass cleaner.
"Who has glass clean-
ers called Eight Ballz, or are you really trying to say it'~ like cocaine?" said Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Gregory, who has prosecuted several synthetic drug cases.
The drugs maintain that they're not for human consumption, a feint to circumvent the laws. While federal laws prohibit analogs of controlled
substances, law enforce-. ment must prove that the drugs are sold or possessed for consumption to prpsecute.
The drugs are designed to mimic everythllg from marijuana to ecstasy. They're ingested in different ways, from smoking to injection.
Their chemical struc-tures are slightly
tweaked, but they're typically similar to the chemical construction of drugs that fall within the realm of substances handled by federal controlled substance laws. ·
The drugs marketed as bath salts are nothing like the common bath salts bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond · or other similar shops. But the use of such
drugs jumped so much in 2011 and early 2012 that federal lawmakers this year approved a ban on them and synthetic marijuana.
With the ban the drugs cannot be sold under any circumstances.
GCRA/[email protected]
. Twitter.com/gcraig1
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