NC lawmakers push to ban 'gas station heroin' drug tianeptine
Some North Carolina lawmakers are seeking to ban a drug known as “gas station heroin.”
The drug, tianeptine, is legal in North Carolina — even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it's dangerous.
State lawmakers on the House Select Committee on Substance Abuse heard from constituents about their experience with the drug. “The drugs just kept calling to me,” an Alamance County man, who didn’t identify himself, told lawmakers. “I don’t know a better way to describe it. It was like an itch you just couldn’t scratch.”
Tianeptine is used as an antidepressant in some other countries. In the U.S., it’s not regulated by any government agency, and there’s no minimum age requirement. It’s gaining popularity with teens.
“They had younger adults in the family … who had been hospitalized, had been in intensive care,” said state Rep. Steve Ross, R-Alamance.
State Pharmacy Association Director Penny Shelton told the committee it’s sold in convenience stores, vape shops and online as a mood supplement that can reduce stress.
“Such products have been marketed other names like Neptune’s Fix, Pegasus Red, Purple Magic, Red Dawn, in various spellings of Tiana Zaza and Zaza Red,” Shelton said.
Tianeptine mimics the effects of opioids, making it highly addictive. It can cause convulsions, loss of consciousness and even death. Withdrawal can be so difficult it can require hospitalization.
“It does far more than create the euphoria or high,” Shelton said. “It actually changes neuronal pathways in the brain. This is particularly problematic for teens and young adults.”
Ross said recent reporting by WRAL News and others helped to increase his awareness of the seriousness of the problem.
The FDA’s warning issued in January also helped, Ross said. The FDA told people to avoid tianeptine and urging retailers to stop selling it.
According to the FDA, 12 states have banned tianeptine. Ross hopes North Carolina can be next.
“I would like to get this done in the short session because this is a life-and-death situation,” Ross said.
Nutropix Labs, distributor of Purple Magic, one of the more common tianeptine brands. The company said it's not producing it anymore because the drug was banned in Florida, where the manufacturer was located. Attempts to reach other manufacturers weren’t successful Tuesday.
