Pink Is a ‘Dangerous Drug’

In an effort to stem the deadly tide of the synthetic opioid nicknamed “pink,” the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has temporarily categorized it as a “Schedule 1” substance, effective November 14. The classification of the drug quickly making its way across the country will place it on par with heroin, cannabis and LSD.

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Whether or not that will do anything to deter its use or the toll it’s taken on those seeking a high remains to be seen — at least 46 people have died so far from its use.

“Pink” is just part of the growing class of drugs that are killing nearly 80 people a day across the nation.

“Pink” is just part of the growing class of drugs that include heroin and prescription painkillers — and they’re killing nearly 80 people a day across the nation.

And it’s easy to get, even for kids. They can sadly just hop online and order it delivered directly to their home through the U.S. mail.

“Pink,” otherwise known as U-47700, comes from a family of deadly synthetic opioids that are far more potent than heroin, and is usually imported to the United States mainly from China. It gets its name from the pink-purple hue that comes from the way it is cut or processed.

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

A Utah coroner just last week also determined that two young Park City-area boys died from the drug as well.

Law enforcement reports the drug comes in both a powder form as well as in counterfeit tablets that mimic prescription opioid painkillers. The powder is being compressed by dealers to look like any other pill — but the dangerous as U-47700 is often made in illicit labs overseas, concealing its identity, purity, and quantity, “creating a ‘Russian roulette” scenario for users, the Associated Press reported.

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