The Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that adds the ingredients of "bath salts" and synthetic marijuana to the list of controlled substances.
The legislation also adds the ingredients of synthetic marijuana, salvia divanorum and a synthetic cocaine called "blizzard" to the list, effectively making possession of the substances illegal.
The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 28.
The state House of Representatives passed similar legislation on April 4. The law will go into effect after Gov. Tom Corbett signs it.
State Senator David G. Argall was one of the bill's co-sponsors.
"I'm pleased to see the legislature move quickly on such a terrible tragedy that has unfolded across the state. So many families have been impacted and this is the first step in ensuring we crack down on the sale and abuse of 'bath salts' in Pennsylvania," he said.
Other lawmakers supporting the bill were Elder A. Vogel, Robert D. Robbins, John C. Rafferty Jr., Timothy J. Solobay, Richard L. Alloway II, Gene Yaw, Jane Clare Orie, Lisa Baker, Wayne D. Fontana, Edwin B. Erickson, Mike Folmer, Dominic Pileggi, Jay Costa, Robert M. Tomlinson, LeAnna M. Washington, Lawrence M. Farnese, Lisa Boscola and Vincent J. Hughes.
The next step is for the bill to move to the Senate floor today for th