Trendy New Drugs Get Cuter By the Minute

Cute little cake snacks aren't what they appear to be. Brownies laced with high concentrations of sleep inducing melatonin are available at Fred's Super Dollar in Jasper. Let's hope they don't make their way to Cumming.

Known as Lazy Cakes, these melatonin-laced snacks are by no means as innocent as they sound. They are cleverly packaged, specifically marketed to young people and sold right at the checkout counter in most cases. 

I wonder how many unsuspecting teen drivers are popping these brownies into their mouths before getting behind the wheel of a car.

Even more harmful are "spice" and "bath-salts" which are available to kids 18 and up at gas stations all over Forsyth County. 

Spice is the slang term for synthetic drugs sold in colorful packaging to draw the interest of young people who think they are safe alternatives to experimenting with drugs.

"Most people turn to mainstream drugs. The scary thing about these herbal synthetics is that people in their teens and 20's think they are a safe way to test the waters," says Capt. Tim House with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. "What they don't realize is that the side effects are just as damaging and these drugs are as addictive as mainstream drugs."

In June of 2010, spice containing one of six illegal compounds was officially mandated as Schedule 1 drugs which are considered a felony. The problem is that the companies that manufacture these drugs are not mandated to list the ingredients. Additionally the "companies" that manufacture these drugs are often vague, consisting of an individuals first name.

"These drugs are new, they're dangerous and it's going to be a blurry line in terms of legality until drug manufacturers are required to list specific ingredients on the packaging," says Capt. House.

Bath salts is the slang term used for mephedrones. These drugs are marketed and sold in gas stations and online under trendy names purposely aligned with marijuana such as Red Dawn, Vanilla Sky and K2 Blonde.

Reactions to these drugs can be extremely violent and often deliver a three-day high that's anything but pleasant.

Talk to your kids, be the authority on these new drugs on the rise as the latest trend for a false impression of safe experimenting.

"Be involved, pay attention and explain that this stuff is scary as heck," says Capt. House who adds that Forsyth County deputies and investigators are working as quickly as possible to aggressively combat these drugs because of their potential for danger and abuse.

Next time you're at the gas station and some cute little packages of something "herbal" catch your eye behind the counter (or within arm's reach), know that those packs are full of an arsenal of questionable compounds. Tell your kids these drugs are as dangerous as any other illegal substance.