DEA bans “Pink”
This week, the US Drug enforcement Administration (DEA) classified “Pink” a schedule I drug. The synthetic opioid has caused at least 46 confirmed deaths and has been proven to have a high potential for abuse with no approved medical use. Thirty-one of those deaths occurred in New York and 10 in North Carolina but Pink has also been seen elsewhere.
Law enforcement has seen Pink in both powder and tablet form. The tablets appear to have been made to mimic prescription opioids, putting users in further danger of thinking they are ingesting something more “safe.” For example, earlier in 2016, police found approximately 500 pills in Ohio that looked like manufacturer’s oxycodone immediate-release tablets. But, upon laboratory analysis, it was determined that they contained the deadly synthetic opioid Pink.
The deadly drug is composed of synthetic opioids much more potent than morphine. Most often, law enforcement has concluded that Pink is imported to the United States from China. Tragically, Pink can be very toxic to users – even in small doses and is usually ingested with other drugs such as heroin or fentanyl.
Pink’s name came from the pinkish hue that the powder form of the drug often has. However, the drug is not always pink. Because the drug is sold over the Internet and labeled as a research chemical, many users do not understand the dangers associated with Pink. Banning Pink by labeling it as a schedule I drug allows law enforcement to prosecute dealers and users more fully, hopefully ending, or at least minimizing, the distribution of the dangerous drug.
Source: Drugabuse.gov