NC House Bill 309 makes gas station heroin a controlled substance
The North Carolina House of Representatives voted unanimously recently to pass HB-903 which adds tianeptine to the Controllled Substance List. The bill was sponsored by Representatives Stephen Ross (R-Alamance), Frank Sossamon (R-Vance), Erin Pare’ (R-Wake) and Donna White (R-Johnston). The bill adds the drug tianeptine, also known as “gas station heroin,” to the list of Schedule II Controlled Substances.
Under the new law, manufacturing or selling or possessing tianeptine would come with the same penalties as with opium, fentanyl, or methamphetamine. Tianeptine is highly addictive and currently widely available, with no age restrictions regarding who can purchase it. “It’s the same feel you get from heroin, the same addiction you get from heroin, being sold right over the counter,” Representative Ross said on the House floor.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warnings about tianeptine, because it has been linked to seizures, loss of consciousness and death. Often marketed and sold in liquid and pill form under the name Neptune’s Fix, the drug is available in many convenience stores, gas stations, and vape shops. It is currently unregulated and has no age restriction for purchase.
Tianeptine is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any medical use. Despite that, some companies are illegally marketing and selling products containing tianeptine to consumers. They are also making dangerous and unproven claims that tianeptine can improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder, and other conditions.
The state Senate also amended HB 56 to regulate hemp-derived consumables & Kratom to include language adding tianeptine to the list of Schedule II Controlled Substances. This provides another way for this dangerous drug to be made illegal.
Please visit the following link to see photos of the banned products.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdaphotos/albums/72177720314476001/with/53613508568.
