Synthetic marijuana, bath salts to be discussed at Hoover forum

A free, public forum for parents on the dangers of synthetic marijuana and bath salts will take place Tuesday night in Hoover. The forum will be held at 6 p.m. in the lower gym at Simmons Middle School.

The forum is designed to give parents information about how to recognize synthetic marijuana and bath salts and talk to their kids about them. Bath salts and other forms of synthetic marijuana such as Spice or K2 are illegal in Alabama and carry the same penalties as other controlled substances, according to Hoover Coalition Coordinator Carissa Anthony.

The substances can often be purchased in Alabama convenience stores, which led state lawmakers to outlaw them in October 2011.

"There are two parts to Alabama's law. One is the piece of legislation making all substances designed to mimic a controlled substance illegal. This stops the manufacturers from changing one molecule in the formula and getting around other laws that ban the specific compounds," Anthony stated.

"The second part of the law is the Governor's Emergency Order. This allows law enforcement to seize and hold the product while awaiting forensic testing to confirm the substance in question."

Hoover police officers, representatives from the Alabama Alcoholic Beverages Control (ABC) Board, representatives from the Alabama Attorney General's office and treatment experts from Bradford Health Services treatment experts will take part in a panel at the forum.

Simmons Middle School is located at 1575 Patton Chapel Road.

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