What the DEA Doesn’t Know Exists Can Definitely Kill You
https://www.propublica.org/article/srsly-what-the-dea-doesnt-know-exists-can-definitely-kill-you
Made in Chi—, Er, Chemically Tweaked in China
Remember that time you told your rowdy niece Elsa (her parents are “Frozen” nuts) to stop banging that pot, only to have her switch to banging a pan instead? That’s kind of like what a STAT report says some Chinese chemical companies are doing, except instead of switching from pots to pans, they’re switching from old deadly drugs to designer deadly drugs. This week’s three W’s: What? Which? And What Else?
What?
The feds haven’t outlawed unicorn trafficking. Why? Because (spoiler alert!) unicorns don’t exist. Similarly, they don’t ban drugs that don’t exist. Thus, Chinese chemical companies have been slightly altering drugs to make new compounds that can’t be regulated until the DEA learns they exist, STAT says. The DEA then confabs with the FDA and it makes the drugs controlled substances. The company, of course, then just alters the drugs again. Said a spokesman from the DEA’s Department of Understatement: “It is a challenging process for us.”
Which?
According to the STAT report, the most recent culprit is the pleasantly alliterative furanyl fentanyl, a tweaked version of fentanyl, the narcotic painkiller involved in thousands of overdose deaths. This newest version already reportedly chalked up a kill, a 30-year-old man in Illinois.
What else?
Tweaking the chemical structure of drugs isn’t the only trick. The Washington Post reported that a Chinese chemist recently resurrected a powerful, synthetic opioid painkiller that was patented in North America in the 1980s, but abandoned before it ever came to market. The drug is known only as W-18, and an expert told the Post that it is, oh, about 10,000 times stronger than morphine and around 100 times more potent than fentanyl. But who’s counting, amirite?!?
They Said It
A Chinese chemical company told STAT that furanyl fentanyl was new to its catalogue, and for “laboratory research.” Uh huh.
Filed under: General Problems
I use F-patches. You aren’t talking about any that pharmacies are buying, right? This is all about the tainted illegal stuff?
From steve: what is used in the commercial Fentanyl patches is Fentanyl CITRATE..
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There are two huge companies in China that I know of where one can order the newest strain of fentanyl over the internet. (I’m sure there’s more). Of course, it’s only for “research purposes” and “not for human consumption.” (Oh, and this is not via darknet or any type of underground black market deal. This is a simple google. They are completely “legitimate” and some here in America have successfully done this, according to a reddit forum).
Just one more unbelievable thing after another. I just learned about the Immodium thing. Boo!
As long as there is for profit prisons, there will be a war on drugs! Dr Drew, who is a big supporter of kolodny & PROP AND who ALWAYS finds a way to link every celebrity OD w/ RX pain killers; admitted yet again on air, that RX opioids are NOT the deadly killers they are made out to be!!!
He stated, “It is actually hard to OD on RX painkillers alone as the danger comes from mixing them w/ benzos, sleeping pills, or other drugs & alcohol”!
The last time Dr. Drew admitted that RX opioids by themselves, were not at all damaging to the body, & when taken correctly, were one of the SAFEST meds. known; was during a debate w/ Bill Maher on legalizing pot.
Why is no one pointing this out to him when he lays into & bashes RX opioids for legit/compliant CPP’s? Especially by those that suffer what he calls, “garbage can” conditions!!!
We MUST start PUBLICALLY calling out these so called “experts” on THEIR “proven”LOL!! “GARBAGE CAN SCIENCE”!
Obviously this is a never ending battle that can NEVER BE WON. But doggone it we will keep on trying. As the DEA’s Department of Understatement is busy with unicorns, their Department of Overstatement is milking the death of Prince for all its worth – those demon heroin pills took another life. The toxicology reports are not yet available but never mind that minor detail.