New LSD-Type Drug Hits Ohio Streets

A new type of hallucinogenic drug has turned up in Ohio, one that produces psychedelic effects similar to LSD or Ecstasy, but more intense and longer lasting.

The synthetic designer drug, called 2C-E, was confiscated from a New York man by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Sept. 3.

Troopers found the 10 2C-E strips, along with marijuana and drug paraphernalia, during a traffic stop in Guernsey County. According to the press release, the driver was charged with drug abuse, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, he could face up to 12 months in prison and up to a $2,500 fine.

While 2C-E, sometimes referred to as "Europa," has been distributed for several years, it appears to be making only its first inroads into this area.

Stow Police Chief Louis Dirker said he spoke with the department's narcotics detective, who reported that officers "have not come across anything like it," nor had they previously heard of the drug.

The drug has been illegal since July, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classified it as a Schedule 1 narcotic.

It comes from the 2C family, a line of synthetic drugs developed in the 1970s and '80s by Alexander Shulgin, who popularized Ecstasy.

Other drugs in the 2C family have been illegal for some time, but 2C-E was legally available until July.

It's similar to "bath salts," powders marketed as innocent products that are actually swallowed or snorted for a high. Last year, a man assaulted a Brecksville police officer after he said he was smoking bath salts.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has outlawed a number of those chemicals, but analog drugs made up of similar components quickly take their place on shelves of head shops and gas stations.