Syracuse, N.Y. - Congressman John Katko is pushing Federal Legislation aimed at allowing police to move more aggressively against the dangerous synthetic drug epidemic.
Katko says the dangerous drugs known as spike or spice is wreaking havoc across the country and is sold openly here in shops throughout Central New York.
Staying on top of synthetic drugs is difficult because manufacturers, often in China, are constantly changing the chemical compounds staying one step ahead of lawmakers. This bill is aimed at streamlining the legal hurdles by giving more control to the Attorney General to add drugs to the list of drugs and chemicals that are illegal to sell in the U.S.
The bill also outlaws 13 synthetic fentanyls that have been identified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as an immediate threat to public health.
Read more about the proposed Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act here.