ALBANY, N.Y. - "This is poison, its poison that is being distributed and sold," said Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo is referring to bath salts and other synthetic drugs. On Tuesday he stood alongside law enforcement and announced new regulations cracking down on the sale and possession of these drugs.
"This wasn't sold on the street corner, this isn't sold in the shadows, this is sold in broad daylight over the counter in stores all across this state and all across this nation," said Cuomo.
The new law expands the list of prohibited drugs and chemicals. It also allows for employees who sell it to be charged with possession of an illicit substance and increases the penalty to a maximum of 15 days in jail.
"I applaud the governor, this is the first step of hopefully ridding this from this area and heightening the awareness to it," said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. "This isn't going to be challenging in stores, because if it's visible you got them game over."
Apple said bath salts can be just as harmful as LSD or PCP, and the threat is growing.
"It's dangerous, it's a chemical compound, it's synthetic, and whenever you start mixing chemicals it's not good."
In 2001 there were 39 reported emergency room visits in upstate New York due to bath salts.
Already in 2012, there have been 191 visits, 120 of them happening in the last two months.
"This is truly a public health epidemic it's terrorizing our country," said Apple.
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