A government’s only purpose is to protect its citizens. For the most part, our government is pretty successful in this aspect.

But in some cases the government is pretty powerless, especially with the issue of drugs.

Now you’re asking, “How? The drugs that cause the most harm are illegal in this country, right?”

Well, maybe not.

On November 11, 2011, a 21-year-old man named Dickie Sanders shot himself in his parent’s house in Louisiana. This was not an issue of chronic mental health or depression.

Sanders did not kill himself because he was unsatisfied with his life. His suicide was caused by a psychosis induced by a drug: bath salts.

But the worst part of this story is that the chemical drug bath salts (which is not what you use to draw a soothing bath) was legal at the time Sanders decided to get high.

There are dozens of these “designer drugs” that are legal in the U.S. simply because the government doesn’t know about them yet.

However, Sanders’ death did bring attention to this substance and in January 2012 the state of Louisiana outlawed six chemicals commonly found in the drug.

But it’s not that easy. Once those chemicals are outlawed, manufacturers simply create another version of the drug with a new legal chemical makeup.

This means that these very harmful and poisonous drugs are available for legal purchase right now.

Armed with legally evasive labels that say, “Not for human consumption,” these drugs do not need approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and continue to elude authorities and the law.

It really brings light to the fact that in some situations, the government’s power is limited.

These substances continue to wreak havoc on society, especially in south Florida.

In May 2012, Miami police restrained a man who beat all the passengers of a taxi cab while under the influence of bath salts. It took 15 officers to restrain the man and control the situation.

But it’s not just people around users who are at risk. The users endanger themselves, sometimes to the point of no return.

“Their organs are reaching a level that most would die. By the time police approach them they are a walking dead person,” said Armando Aguilar, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, in regard to bath salt users,

There is a morbid irony here. The drugs that are legal are perhaps more dangerous than those that are illegal.

I do not fault the government here. On this issue, there is only so much that they can do. However, it means that we have to be more careful.

Drugs are serious business, especially on a college campus. Sometimes common sense is the only power you have.

Remember, legal doesn’t always mean safe. In fact, in this case, legal means stay away.