Bath Salts Banned In New York State; Governor Cuomo Announces New Regulations (SLIDESHOW)

Governor Cuomo announced on Tuesday New York state is issuing a ban on the selling and possession of bath salts, citing a need to crackdown on designer drug distributors.

Cuomo said in a statement, "Bath salts and other synthetic drugs pose a direct, serious threat to public health and safety, and we must do everything we can to remove these harmful substances from sale and distribution in New York."

Common names for bath salts include, "White Lightning, Snow Leopard, Tranquility, Zoom, Ivory Wave, Red Dove, Vanilla Sky."

Along with bath salts, the new regulation, approved by the New York State Department Of Health, will also punish those possessing "dozens more substances that are now used to make synthetic drugs."

Violators will face fines up to $500 and up to 15 days in jail for either distributing or possessing the illicit drugs.

The move follows several high-profile and violent incidents involving bath salts.

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Bath salts were originally thought to be the cause of face-eating attack in Miami,. An official toxicology report, however, found only marijuana to be in Rudy Eugene's system.

A few weeks later in July, a Georgia man reportedly snorted bath salts and was found with feces in his mouth while wielding a knife, threatening to hurt someone.

Although President Barack Obama signed a federal ban on bath salts earlier this summer, New York's new regulations will allow local law enforcement officials to track down perpetrators, who they can then refer to local District Attorneys.