Senate OKs bill banning Spice, Ivory Wave

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would ban drugs marketed as incense and bath salts is one step closer to becoming law after passing the Senate Thursday. 

HB23 originally banned Spice, a drug sold in the form of incense and known to give its users a marijuana-like high, but it has since been amended in the Senate to include Ivory Wave, a popular methamphetamine derivative that is marketed as bath salts. 

The bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, has said it is difficult to keep up with manufacturers, who change their formulas every time a new law is made. "We may be on a yearly basis making adjustments," he said. 

Since the bill has been amended, it will return to the House for its approval before it's sent to the governor. If the governor signs the bill, the ban would go into effect immediately.

— Amanda Verzello