Zombie Apocalypse: Bath Salts Banned by Senate With Help of Potential Romney VP Rob Portman

The Zombie Apocalypse phenomenon has entered presidential politics as Sen. Rob Portman (R-Oh.), one of Mitt Romney’s potential picks for VP, introduced an amendment to a Senate FDA bill that would implement a federal ban on the substance, helping the bill pass (92-4) and sending it on its way to President Obama’s desk.

Portman released the following statement after the vote:

"My amendment to ban these drugs at the federal level will better enable federal and state authorities to combat this growing epidemic. "Synthetic drugs are blinding some to the point where they lose sight of their own humanity, spurring reckless, horrific acts across the country. By banning these substances at the federal level and authorizing the DEA to pursue the manufacturers of these drugs across state lines, passage of this measure is an important step in reversing this streak of devastating crimes."

This is the first time a high profile politician like Senator Portman gives the issue a national profile, an evidence of the bath salts epidemic increasing – and alarming – popularity.  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also made a floor statement, citing the death of David Rozga of Indianola, who took his life just 90 minutes after taking bath salts for the first time. He was an Indianola High School student who was planning on attending the University of Northern Iowa.

“This ban can’t come quickly enough,” Grassley said. “Just about every day, there’s a new tragedy related to bath salts. The sooner this poison is off the store shelves, the better. I hope the president will sign this measure into law very quickly.”

Ever since the gruesome Miami cannibalistic attack stunned the nation during Memorial Weekend, bath salts have become a concern for recession-hit communities across the country that have been terrorized by zombie-like synthetic drug users that seem to follow a now familiar pattern of stripping naked, growling and trying to bite or eat their victims. The latest casualty, a family dog which was eaten alive by a Waco, Texas, man allegedly high on the deadly substance.   

The Senate ban targets 28 chemicals used in synthetic drugs that are often sold at corner stores as hygiene products, incense or plant food and can trigger bizarre and violent behavior, according to news reports.