Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced he helped pass legislation to ban a new class of synthetic drugs – often called “N-Bomb” or “Smiles” – which are designed to mimic the hallucinogenic effects of LSD (A.627-A). The bill continues the Assembly’s efforts to ban new synthetic drugs which pose a major threat to public health, especially among young adults and teenagers.

“This legislation is critical because synthetic drugs are seriously harming children across our state,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “We need to take more action to keep our kids safe.”

The Assembly’s bill builds on the work of legislation passed in previous years to ban manufactured stimulants commonly known as “bath salts.” These types of drugs are typically sold to young people, who are led to believe that the substances are legal alternatives to well-known recreational drugs but are often even more dangerous. In fact, the drug has caused at least 21 deaths since 2012.¹

Often produced in overseas labs, “N-Bomb” is bought and sold over the Internet as a research chemical to skirt the law or cooked up locally by amateurs. It is consumed as a white powder, as a liquid or spread onto tabs of blotting paper, which are usually brightly colored to entice users.²

“These dangerous drugs should be taken off the market for good and kept out of the hands of young people,” Thiele said. “Banning synthetic drugs is a step in the right direction, but we also need to focus on prevention and educate our kids about the dangers these drugs pose.”

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