Pamela's Law is legislation that was passed in 2011 by the New Jersey Legislature and signed by Governor Chris Christie that bans the sale or possession of methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV, most commonly found in the drug "bath salts").
It is named after Pamela Schmidt, a Rutgers University student who was murdered in March 2011. William Parisio, Jr., who was suspected of being under the influence of methylenedioxypyrovalerone was charged with her murder. [1]
The prosecution announced on September 2, 2011, that the drug did not exist in Parisio's system at the time of his arrest on March 14, 2011. [2]
Matthew Wayne Shepard was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken by rescuers to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries received during the attack.
A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. Designer drugs include psychoactive substances that have been designated by the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, as new psychoactive substances (NPS) as well as analogs of performance-enhancing drugs such as designer steroids.
Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is an empathogen and stimulant psychoactive drug. It is a member of the amphetamine, cathinone and methylenedioxyphenethylamine classes.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Utah's anti-sodomy law was invalidated in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas, and fully repealed by the state legislature in 2019. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBTQ people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.
Katherine A. Klausmeier is an American politician who has served as a member of both chambers of the General Assembly of Maryland at the state capital of Annapolis, Maryland, currently in the upper chamber of the Maryland Senate representing District 8 in northeast Baltimore County, since 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate from 2019 to 2020 and represented the same district earlier in the lower chamber of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003. Klausmeier is the longest serving current member of the Maryland Senate, serving in the Maryland State House for 21 years, and as a delegate for eight years before that.
Robert Creigh Deeds is an American lawyer and politician serving as a member of the Senate of Virginia representing the 25th district since 2001. Previously, he was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Virginia in 2005 and Governor of Virginia in 2009. He was defeated in both of those races by Republican Bob McDonnell. Deeds lost by just 323 votes in 2005, but was defeated by a wide margin of over 17 percentage points in 2009. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2001.
Jill Priscilla Carter is an American politician and attorney who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate since 2018, representing the 41st district in Baltimore. She previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003 until her resignation in 2017.
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone is a stimulant of the cathinone class that acts as a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). It was first developed in the 1960s by a team at Boehringer Ingelheim. Its activity at the dopamine transporter is six times stronger than at the norepinephrine transporter and it is virtually inactive at the serotonin transporter. MDPV remained an obscure stimulant until around 2004 when it was reportedly sold as a designer drug. In the US, products containing MDPV and labeled as bath salts were sold as recreational drugs in gas stations, similar to the marketing for Spice and K2 as incense, until it was banned in 2011.
James Carew Rosapepe is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 21 in since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 1997, and served as the United States Ambassador to Romania from 1998 to 2001.
Methedrone is a recreational drug of the cathinone chemical class. Chemically, methedrone is closely related to para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), methylone and mephedrone. Methedrone received media attention in 2009 after the death of two young Swedish men. In both cases toxicology analysis showed methedrone was the only drug present in both men during the time of their overdose and subsequent deaths.
Mephedrone, also known as 4-methylmethcathinone, 4-MMC, and 4-methylephedrone, is a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone classes. Slang names include drone, M-CAT, White Magic, meow meow and bubble. It is chemically similar to the cathinone compounds found in the Khat plant of eastern Africa. It comes in the form of tablets or crystals, which users can swallow, snort or inject, producing effects similar to those of MDMA, amphetamines and cocaine.
Nancy Skinner is an American politician who is member of the California State Senate. A Democrat, she represents California's 9th State Senatorial district, encompassing parts of the East Bay.
Kay Ellen Ivey is an American politician who is the 54th governor of Alabama, serving since 2017. Originally a conservative Southern Democrat, Ivey became a member of the Republican Party in 2002. She was the 38th Alabama state treasurer from 2003 to 2011 and the 30th lieutenant governor of Alabama from 2011 to 2017.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of New Jersey have the same legal rights as non-LGBTQ people. LGBT individuals in New Jersey enjoy strong protections from discrimination, and have had the same marriage rights as heterosexual people since October 21, 2013.
α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone is a synthetic stimulant of the cathinone class developed in the 1960s that has been sold as a designer drug and often consumed for recreational reasons. α-PVP is chemically related to pyrovalerone and is the ketone analog of prolintane.
Luke H. Clippinger is an American politician and lawyer who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the state's 46th district in Baltimore, since 2011.
Bath salts are a group of recreational designer drugs. The name derives from instances in which the drugs were disguised as bath salts. The white powder, granules, or crystals often resemble Epsom salts, but differ chemically. The drugs' packaging often states "not for human consumption" in an attempt to circumvent drug prohibition laws. Additionally, they may be described as "plant food", "powdered cleaner", or other products.
David Hyon Moon is an American activist, lawyer, and politician. He is currently a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 20 in Montgomery County, Maryland. Since 2023, he has served as the Majority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Clarence K. Lam is an American politician and physician who has served in the Maryland Senate representing the 12th district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, his district stretches across Anne Arundel and Howard counties and includes parts of Columbia and Glen Burnie. Lam previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2019.
Carl W. Jackson is an American politician who serves as a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 8, which is in Baltimore County, Maryland.