Fighting Bath Salts - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

Bath salts---we've seen them in the Panhandle and most recently around the country. Since the horrific incident in Miami-- where a man chewed the face off a homeless man, officials in both dada and Broward counties are considering a ban on all fake pot products.

This week, Freddy Sharp of Tennessee spoke to CNN about his experience with the drug. "I was possessed and I couldn't try to stop whatever was in me from continuing further. And I felt like I was about to bust loose and actually hurt somebody."

While these stories are too familiar, authorities are taking matters into their own hands. In Dade County, where a man chewed the face off a homeless man, officials are considering a ban that would bring matters into their own hands.

In the past, it has been rather difficult to enforce the current statewide band. "The problem with enforcing the state law is that the chemist in china are just modifying the chemical structure and then when it's analyzed, FDLE classifies it as a non-illegal substance." Major Tommy Ford says there's variations in the drug's chemical configuration that aren't illegal, so manufactures of the drug are capitalizing on the loop hole

When it comes to instituting a ban locally, Commissioner Guy Tunnell says it may be more appropriate to approve a statewide ban. "If you enact a special local ordinance in one county, all it's going to do is to basically is push those violators to surrounding areas." Tunnell says.