CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - City Council last week passed a synthetic drug ban that targets convenience stores selling bath salts.

The products are plant food, incense or bath salts, which are being purchased to snort, smoke or ingest as a drug. Councilwoman Deanna McLaughlin, who proposed the ban, said she was able to purchase a packet for $10 at a local convenience store, reports The Leaf Chronicle.

Clarksville police told the Council that one of the substances has a chemical makeup similar to meth, while others mimic the effects of marijuana.

The ordinance will require two readings before it can become law. It would ban the sale, transfer and possession of the products. The Council will hold a special session today at 3:30 pm for the second reading.

The newspaper writes that the ordinance also allows police to cite business owners and clerks who sell them, which would carry a $50 fine that is multipliable for each individual packet in a store's possession.

Clarksville is not alone in its efforts to ban bath salts. New Jersey is seeking a statewide ban and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) supports a bill that would federally ban the substance.

Meanwhile, parents and concerned citizens packed a community drug forum last week in Ohio at Lexington High School to address the issue of bath salts.

"In Mansfield, it's almost become an epidemic," METRICH Commander Lt. Ken Coontz said. "They're terrible. They serve no purpose." The Mansfield News Journal added that Coontz called store owners who sell bath salts "irresponsible" and encouraged residents to confront them about why they sell the product. "They will not have a legitimate answer," he said.