Recently there has been a lot of new about bath salts and reports linking them to various horrific crimes.:

• Miami Zombie Attack Linked to Bath Salts
• N.Y. mom on possible bath-salt bender dies after Tasing
• Bath salts drug linked to another bizarre biting attack

From a legal standpoint, there is a concern about how these attacks are being reported by the police.  It seems that police are blaming these attacks on bath salts before getting the results of toxicology tests.  This is problematic because assumptions like this often times mask the root of the problem.  For example, a person involved in an absurd attack may have been affected by certain prescription medications, may suffer from a stress or anxiety disorder or may have significant mental health issues.

You may have noticed that every so often a “rash of crimes linked to X drug” are reported in the media.  Whether it’s LSD, ecstasy, meth or in this case bath salts, police officials seem to jump on the bandwagon and blame any similar case on the popular drug without any scientific evidence.

This can also cause complications when charging a crime.  The charges for using bath salts differ greatly from illegal drugs for instance.

Linking a crime to any drug or substance without proper forensic examination is irresponsible.  It taints the jury pool, adds extra charges, and makes it harder to reach the truth.

Justin McShane

PA DUI attorney Justin J. McShane is the President/CEO of The McShane Firm, LLC - Pennsylvania's top criminal law and DUI law firm. He is the highest rated DUI attorney in PA as rated by Avvo.com. Justin McShane is a double Board certified attorney. He is the first and so far the only Pennsylvania attorney to achieve American Bar Association recognized board certification in DUI defense from the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. He is also a Board Certified Criminal Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Approved Agency.