ONDCP Webinars on Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic drugs like, “Spice” (synthetic marijuana) and “Bath Salts” (salt crystals sprayed with psychoactive chemicals), are a growing concern in the United States. Many users experimenting with synthetic drugs have adverse reactions which often land them in the emergency room. Much of the appeal of these types of drugs is the fact that most standard drug tests cannot detect the presence of the chemicals used to produce the high.

In response, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will host a series of webinars to talk about the dangers of synthetic drugs like “Spice” and “Bath Salts,” the first of which will take place on April 8 from 1-2 p.m. EST. The webinars will be lead by Mary Lou Leary, ONDCP’s Deputy Director for State, Local, and Tribal Affairs.

Representatives from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be featured in the webinars.

Providing details on federal and local efforts for addressing synthetic drug use, as well as federal regulatory provisions and enforcement actions, the webinar will serve as an introduction to the new synthetic drugs hitting the market, focusing on the drugs':

• Manufacture
• Distribution
• Health Risks

The focus of the second webinar will be on use and distribution prevention on the local level. Webinar 2 is scheduled to take place later this spring.

For more information, sign up for the ONDCP newsletter.

To sign up for the first webinar, click here.