New Jersey law places restrictions on controlled dangerous substances. These are substances that have a high potential for abuse or overdose.
Clandestine pills and designer drugs are a way for manufacturers to attempt to hide their true intentions, both from law enforcement and from their prospective customers.
Clandestine pills
Clandestine pills resemble authentic pharmaceuticals, such as oxycodone. However, their manufacture takes place illicitly outside of a pharmaceutical company.
According to New Jersey state police, the danger of clandestine pills is that they resemble legitimate medications. However, the chemical content may be completely different than what the branding suggests. It may contain more potent substances, such as heroin or fentanyl. Very small amounts can cause overdose.
If authorities seize clandestine pills, they may send them to the Office of Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis of the ingredients. If the pills contain drugs such as fentanyl or heroin, the person in possession of them could face harsher penalties. This is true even if he or she did not know the full contents.
Designer drugs
Designer drugs are synthetic concoctions meant to closely resemble a controlled dangerous substance. Therefore, the effect on the body should be similar. The idea is that the designer drugs are sufficiently different in their chemical make-up that they do not technically qualify as controlled substances. They often have names meant to disguise their true purpose, such as “bath salts” or “premium potpourri.”
Many of these substances come from amateurs working in clandestine laboratories. As a result, the effects they have on people may be unpredictable. In the interest of safety, the state of New Jersey has taken steps to make the possession and sale of designer drugs illegal.