Thrill-seekers who think they can skirt state and federal drug laws by purchasing, using or distributing synthetic drugs would be wise to take a look at page A12 of Friday's Post-Bulletin.

The top story concerns Jay Arthur Halpin, 53, who in Olmsted County District Court last week was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to possession of synthetic marijuana. He'd been arrested last July, just two weeks after a statewide ban went into effect. Two other men are awaiting prosecution on similar misdemeanor charges in Olmsted County.

The other story on that page is far more sobering. Timothy LaMere, 22, stood in an Anoka County courtroom last week and pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Trevor Robinson. The two young men were close friends who attended a party in Blaine last year. LaMere distributed a synthetic drug called 2C-E, an illegal product that he'd purchased online from an out-of-state supplier. Robinson snorted it, and it killed him.

Without going to trial, LaMere pleaded guilty and agreed to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Why did he make what appears to be such a one-side plea bargain? Because the federal government means business in its fight to halt online trafficking in synthetic drugs.

The U.S. Attorney's Office sent a letter to Anoka County prosecutors, making it quite clear that if prosecutors cut any deal resulting in a less-than-maximum sentence for LaMere, he would face federal prosecution and a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. There's little doubt that this letter played a role in LaMere's decision to plead guilty.

Admittedly, there are still loopholes and gray areas in the laws against synthetic drugs, commonly known as "bath salts" or "research chemicals." Prosecution can be complicated and costly, and state statutes vary. At the federal level, although Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa have teamed up to fight for tougher laws, they've been stymied by Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky. He has single-handedly blocked their bills, citing his preference for local control of drug enforcement, rather than a one-size-fits-all federal law.

It appears that the U.S. Attorney's Office found a way around Paul's objection, at least in this case.

LaMere didn't mean to hurt anyone, but the heavy price he's paying might send a much stronger message than any law that comes out of Washington. If you buy illegal drugs online, you might not get caught. And if you are, you might get off with just a fine or a short jail sentence.

But legal loopholes close pretty quickly when someone's heart stops beating, so if you provide an illegal substance to other people, you'd better hope and pray that nothing goes wrong. If it does, there's a good chance that you'll be going to prison for a long, long time.