Warren Zysman Joins Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, State Senator Jeffrey Klein And Other New York Officials In Announcing Lawsuits Against Businesses For Allegedly Selling And Shipping Synthetic Marijuana And Other Designer Drugs Statewide
Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,
President/CEO Chairman Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2015
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
Warren Zysman Joins Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, State Senator Jeffrey Klein and other New York Officials in Announcing Lawsuits against Businesses for Allegedly Selling and Shipping Synthetic Marijuana and other Designer Drugs Statewide
East Meadow, NY….Warren Zysman, Chief Executive Officer of ACI Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers, a member of NuHealth/NUMC board of directors and Great Neck resident, joined Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, State Senator Jeffrey Klein and various New York officials at a press conference, in which AG Schneiderman announced lawsuits against businesses for allegedly selling and shipping synthetic marijuana and other designer drugs. The AG’s office had intercepted designer drugs from New York wholesalers for allegedly selling hallucinogenic and psychotropic drugs and street drug alternatives. These substances, known as “designer drugs,” promote auditory and visual hallucinations, sedation, euphoria, and other street drug effects, but can lead to addiction, psychosis, asphyxiation, acute arrhythmia and even death. Without ingredient disclosure, adequate usage or warning information, the lawsuits allege that the labels are deceptive and the drugs are dangerous for consumers.
“The proliferation of illegal designer drugs is a national health crisis that is hurting New York families and communities,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “After successfully stopping more than 20 head shops across our state from selling these dangerous drugs, my prosecutors and investigators are tracking down dealers who sell these drugs online and in stores. There is one set of rules for everyone, and if your trade is selling dangerous, mislabeled drugs anywhere in New York State, you must stop — or we will stop you.”
These lawsuits are part of an ongoing effort by Attorney General Schneiderman’s office to stop the sale of designer drugs.
“The lawsuits filed today by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman render another blow to the K2 and synthetic drug industry. I applaud his actions for helping take more of this poison off the streets. I will continue to push for my robust package of statewide legislation to criminalize sales of K2, crackdown on businesses engaging in K2 sales and bring our state’s analog law in line with Federal law to stop unscrupulous chemist’s from tweaking formulas to evade the law,” said State Senator Jeffrey Klein.
Like the earlier cases, the lawsuit filed seeks a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction against the distributors, barring them from selling misbranded designer drugs.
“An alarming number of patients being treated for K2 use and abuse at ACI Rehab located in midtown Manhattan are adolescents, ages 12 to 22. The accessibility on the Internet and local stores, low cost and catchy names, such as ‘Scooby Snax,’ ‘fake weed,’ and ‘moon rocks,’ make K2 an attractive choice for young people. K2 can have very harmful effects including hallucinations, paranoia, seizures and spikes in blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. The variability of the presenting symptoms and the fact that it does not show up on standard drug tests make K2 use and overdose challenging to diagnosis. Keeping drugs like K2 off the streets is another important piece of the puzzle when it comes to the war on drugs. The legal and legislative actions by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Senator Jeff Klein are exactly what is needed to cut off access to K-2 in New York State and protect our children,” said Mr. Zysman.
Photo: Mr. Zysman and AG Schneiderman at the podium.
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