Feds FINALLY ban synthetic opioid ‘pink’ which is more deadly than heroin after death toll nears 50

November 10, 2016

Pink, an opioid drug imported from China, is more potent than heroin
It has been linked to at least 46 US deaths this year, US DEA reveals
Officials have now placed a two-year ban on the drug as they investigate

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

and
Reuters

Published:
18:15 EST, 10 November 2016

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Updated:
18:56 EST, 10 November 2016

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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has temporarily categorized a synthetic opioid nicknamed ‘pink’ as a dangerous drug.

It comes after officials received at least 46 reports of deaths associated with its use in quick succession.

The ban will last for two years, effective as of Monday November 14, while the agency investigates it.

‘Pink’, known to chemists as U-47700, (pictured by the DEA) comes from a family of deadly synthetic opioids that are far more potent than heroin. After killing 46, it is now banned

The abuse of opioids — a class of drugs that includes heroin and prescription painkillers — has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.

According to the CDC, 78 Americans die every day from opioid overdose.

‘Pink’, known to chemists as U-47700, comes from a family of deadly synthetic opioids that are far more potent than heroin.

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It is usually imported to the United States mainly from China.

The drug typically appears as a white powder in bags labelled ‘not for human consumption’.

It gets its name from the pink-purple hue that comes from the way it is cut or processed.

WHAT IS ‘PINK’?

‘Pink’, known to chemists as U-47700, comes from a family of deadly synthetic opioids that are far more potent than heroin.

It is usually imported to the United States mainly from China.

The drug typically appears as a white powder in bags labelled ‘not for human consumption’.

It gets its name from the pink-purple hue that comes from the way it is cut or processed.

It can also come in liquid form, consumed via dropper bottles or nasal inhalers, and is available online.

Pink can cause feelings of euphoria, but also has potentially fatal side effects such as respiratory depression.

It can also come in liquid form, consumed via dropper bottles or nasal inhalers, and is available online.

Pink can cause feelings of euphoria, but also has potentially fatal side effects such as respiratory depression.

Europe, Sweden and Finland have already banned it.

The DEA said it had temporarily categorized U-47700 as a ‘Schedule 1’ substance, effective November 14, classifying it as a dangerous addictive drug with no medicinal use, placing it on par with heroin, cannabis and LSD.

The scheduling will last for two years, with a possible one-year extension if the DEA requires more data to determine whether it should be permanently scheduled, the agency said.

Of the 46 fatalities, 31 occurred in New York and 10 in North Carolina, the DEA said, from reports it received between October 2015 and September 2016.

Law enforcement agencies have seized the drug in powder form and counterfeit tablets that mimic prescription opioid painkillers, the agency said.

Since substances like U-47700 are often made in illicit labs overseas, their identity, purity, and quantity are unknown, creating a ‘Russian roulette’ scenario for users, the DEA said.

In March, law enforcement agencies in Ohio seized 500 blue pills that visually appeared to be short-acting oxycodone pills, but a laboratory analysis confirmed they were U-47700.