Law enforcement officers around the state are finding out just how difficult it may be to fight a war on so-called synthetic drugs. They’re sold in convenience stores under labels like bath salts and plant food. While the legislature outlawed a list of substances earlier this year, new versions continue to crop up. It’s like a game of hit and miss, according to an investigator with the Tennessee Attorney General who has been meeting with police departments around the state to explain what they should be looking for.
The investigator says the law is still catching up with the drug makers, who are in places like China and India. The attorney general investigator says he expects the legislature will have to expand its list of known synthetic drugs when the General Assembly reconvenes next year. Police across the area say that some of the synthetics are even more dangerous than the real thing.