Upper St. Clair Police 'Keeping Eye Out' For Bath Salt, Synthetic Marijuana Usage

Upper St. Clair police  are "keeping an eye out" for bath salts and synthetic marijuana use as these kind of drugs becomes more prevalent in other areas.

Lt. James Englert said an adult motorist passing through Upper St. Clair recently had to be rushed to the hospital because he had taken K2, a synthetic form of marijuana, and was hallucinating and hyperventilating.

He also said a young student had gotten ahold of the drug a few weeks ago.

Englert addressed the state of the township with the Upper St. Clair Youth Steering Committee last week and overall, he said, he's very pleased with how things are going.

Heroin usage has not been a recent problem in Upper St. Clair, according to Englert.

"The senior class has been exemplary. Last year's as well," he said. "I feel good about the collective effort. We (police) don't know one student using heroin. Five years ago we could rattle off eight individuals."

Englert credits the "young people." He said there has been an increase of students calling the police department when they see or hear about something happening illegally.

"If they're up front about it, we're not going to take any action against them," he said.

He warns that this time of year can be dangerous for young people. Drug and alcohol use increases during prom and graduation celebrations.

"Everywhere you go, you'll have people tugging at you," he said.

Englert said any adult who willingly provides alcohol to people under 21 can be charged with a misdemeanor, which comes with a permanant arrest record and hefty fine.

For parents going out of town, police offer a three-day house check service to keep an eye on the home and look out for suspicious activity.

"Upper St. Clair is a very fine community," Englert said. "We can't let our guard down. We need to keep up the good work. We've been very fortunate."

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