Florida bans tianeptine, “gas station heroin,” amid opioid crisis

The attorney general of FloridaAshley Moody, activated an emergency measure to temporarily ban tianeptine, a drug known as “heroin from gas stations”, “highly addictive”, and add it to the state list of controlled substances.

Florida has thus become the most recent state to ban this drug, which is commonly sold as a dietary supplement under the names Pegasus, Tianaa or Zaza Ried, which can replicate the effects of opioids, and is sold at gas stations, convenience stores. and online, Moody noted.

The emergency measure states that this drug is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any medical use.

“I am doing everything in my power to end the deadly opioid crisis, working with law enforcement to arrest drug dealers, secure billions of dollars for reduction projects, and ban dangerous substances that fuel addiction.” , like gas station heroin (tianeptine)added the state attorney general.

He indicated in a statement that “breaking the addiction to tianeptine is difficult,” what is “highly addictive and even deadly”, and urged those fighting this addiction to “seek help now.”

The effects of that drug include agitation, drowsiness, confusion, sweating, tachycardia, high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, slow or stopped breathing, coma, and death.

Moody said five deaths have already been attributed to tianeptine nationwide and that Florida poison control centers have received 15 calls related to exposure to the drug this year.

More than 110,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, primarily due to illicit fentanyl, the attorney general’s office reported.

In the Miami-Dade County area alone, according to a 2022 official interim report, nearly 600 people died from drug overdoses.

Moody recently blamed the pharmaceutical companies fueling the opioid crisis for this tragedy and secured more than $3 billion for state reduction efforts over the next 17 years.

While illicit fentanyl from Mexico remains the leading cause of overdose deaths nationwide, Attorney General Moody is fighting to stop emerging threats like tianeptine.

Tianeptine is banned in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee.

Moody’s emergency ban temporarily makes it illegal to buy, sell or possess tianeptine in Florida.

“This ban is temporary, but I will work with legislators this year to achieve a permanent ban before our legislative session,” Moody added.