Pennsylvania Convicted Criminals Not Tested for “Bath Salts”

Mandated drug testing for convicted criminals in Pennsylvania generally does not include the newly banned “bath salts,” WNEP-TV reports. A state law banning the synthetic drugs went into effect in this week.

Probation officials told the news station the cost of testing for bath salts is too high. According to the news report, the cost of screening for alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, prescription opioids and other drugs is about four dollars. Mike Vecchio, the head of Luzerne County’s Probation Department, told the news station that adding testing for bath salts would bump the cost of the drug test to almost $50, adding an estimated $50,000 to the county’s budget.

The news station notes many criminal justice experts say the cost of bath salt testing will come down if Congress passes a nationwide ban on the drug.