Borough Resident Implores Council to Ban 'Bath Salts'

An emotional parent pleaded with Hellertown Borough Council to do something about the sale of so-called "bath salts" in the borough, at council's Monday night meeting.

Borough resident Michele Gubish told council members that her son, David Gubish, was hospitalized for 18 days in April after consuming bath salts that he legally purchased at in Hellertown.

"He's made some really dumb decisions, no doubt about it. And the worst decision he's made is to purchase some synthetic drugs named bath salts," she said during the courtesies of the floor portion of the meeting.

"He spent a week on a ventilator," Gubish said. "His kidneys shut down, his liver shut down."

"I have never seen anyone cry yellow tears, but he did," she added.

Despite their innocuous-sounding name, the "bath salts" her son consumed are not the "Calgon" type of bath salts one would soak one's feet in after a long day, Gubish emphasized.

Instead, the "bath salts" he ingested are synthetic drugs capable of producing psychosis, hallucinations and violent reactions in users.

A move to ban bath salts and other similar "designer drugs" being sold at convenience stores and gas stations throughout Pennsylvania has received considerable media attention in recent weeks, and Gubish told council members that the state of New Jersey recently imposed a ban on their sale.

"If there's anything we can do on a local level to stop the sale of bath salts, it would be greatly appreciated," she said. "It's a synthetic drug and it is deadly."

During a discussion which followed Gubish's remarks, several council members expressed sympathy over her family's ordeal and a desire to do something in order to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

"I feel strongly that we need to take a stand as a council," member Gail Nolf said. "We are at the lowest level of government in the state, and I've said this before. I feel we need to take ownership for our own borough."

Nolf also recommended taking action to stop the local sale of "K2," a synthetic marijuana drug with methamphetamine-like qualities.

Borough Council Solicitor Michael Corriere was reticent to recommend that council ban any drugs, however.

Corriere said that in Pennsylvania it has "always been the purview of the state, not municipalities, to regulate drug offenses."

"My opinion would be that it's really a state matter," he said.

Corriere did encourage council members to contact their state representatives and senators to request legislative action on a movement to ban the sale of bath salts and similar synthetic drugs.

He also told them that there is nothing to prevent them from approaching individual business owners in town, to request that they voluntarily stop selling the synthetic drugs.

"You can ask business owners to do anything voluntarily," he said. "Can we legally force them to do it? I would say no."

Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp told council that he has already asked business owners that were selling "bath salts" in Hellertown stop doing so on a voluntary basis. As of April 27, he added, all had complied with his request.

In speaking with each business owner, "we kind of talked about our community," he said. 

"I've let them know...the repercussions of selling and what happens to people...(and that) it's probably not in the best interests of people who own a business (to continue selling them)," he added.

Shupp said that because the state and federal governments have been relatively slow to react to the new wave of synthetic drugs now available on store shelves, local police have been hamstrung in their ability to protect their communities.

Referring to another synthetic drug known as "spice," he said "we arrested a kid for having spice (and) the DA's office refused to prosecute him."

"The United States should ban (bath salts), period," he added.

Councilman John Bate said the use of the drugs appears to be increasing, and offered anecdotal evidence to support that idea.

While waiting in line to make a purchase at a local store recently, he said he observed numerous individuals in front of him purchase the synthetic marijuana drug K2.

"I was probably the sixth person in line and I was the only person who didn't buy it," he said.

"And the kids were asking for 'extra strength!'" he added.

Council President Phil Weber suggested that council direct Borough Manager Cathy Kichline to write letters to U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-15) and state officials requesting action on a ban at both the state and federal levels of government.

He also suggested that both Mayor Richard Fluck and the chief continue to visit borough business owners to discuss the dangers associated with the sale of synthetic drugs and ask that they not sell them.

"See what they can do to help us," he told them.

Finally, Councilman Thomas Rieger suggested that council adopt a resolution advocating a ban of the drugs, which would be attached to the letters sent by Kichline.

Council plans to vote on that resolution at its next regular meeting, which will be held May 16.