Personal Pain Prompts Proposal for Tougher Bath Salt Ban

2/11/2013 (Updated 11:05:06 PM)

BINGHAMTON -- Broome County Legislator Matt Pasquale proposed a law to strengthen the penalties for the sale and use of bath salts. Use of the recreational drug, which is sold under such names as Vanilla Sky and Euphoria, has increased in Broome County and even caused an area death last summer.

That death was 22-year-old Billy Vienneau of Endicott, a family friend of the Pasquale's. Said the Legislator, "Our children started going to school together, probably about 10-12 years ago. My son kinda looked up to him. He liked him."

Last June Billy, who struggled with drugs in the past, tried something new: bath salts. His mother Lauren Vienneau explained just how quickly things turned for her son.

"Billy was on his way... to long term rehab when he walked out of the addiction crisis center and within 45 minutes he had gone and bought bath salts up in Binghamton."

The bath salts sent Vienneau to the hospital, where he was kept on life support for three days. Billy never came home and became another young life lost prematurely to drugs.

When asked about Billy, Pasquale was choked up as he said, "It's tragic. I have two kids. No parent should ever have to bury their child."

Pasquale decided to do something about it and proposed the legislation. The Vienneau's are behind him one hundred percent.

Says mom Lauren, "If this legislation can help one person, it was worth speaking out about what happened with Billy."