The newest drug that has hit American shores is stronger than heroin, extremely cheap, and currently legal. Here’s everything you need to know about Pink.
Synthetic Opiates
Pink is another new drug that falls into the category of synthetic opiates. This means that while its chemical structure and effects are similar to other opiates like heroin and morphine, it was created in a laboratory to mimic or heighten the effects of the other drugs. U-47700 is the drug’s formal name, and it falls squarely into this category. The drug is also 7 times more potent than morphine and has already been responsible for numerous deaths. Many of the synthetic opiates that have made it into the news fall into a similar category – cheap and extremely potent. In addition to the extremely high chance of overdose, these drugs have limited testing in humans – making them even more dangerous.
Many synthetic drugs also present another problem – they are technically legal until the DEA reclassifies them. This is because of the differences in their chemical structures from pre-existing drugs. Until the DEA specifically makes them illegal, they operate in a legal grey area which makes it extremely easy to purchase and find them online.
What is Pink?
Pink was developed in the 1970s and has not had much popularity since then. Recently, however, there has been an influx of the drug in American cities. There were two 8th grade boys found dead in September, which brought the drug into public awareness. The drug is called Pink not for its color, but because the doses required for its effects are so low that users will use their pinkies to snort it.
U-47700 can be taken orally, it can be snorted and it can also be injected. There is a high potential for overdose with all of these routes of administration. The drug carries more risks than other opiates as well because of how quickly the effects hit and then leave the user. This can cause users to take more of the drug and reach fatal levels accidentally.
Pink and Drug Addiction
The drug, like all opioids, is highly addictive. It has been difficult for cities to attribute overdoses to the drug as well, because of how new it is, which makes testing for its presence more difficult. When chemists developed the drug in the 1970s, they were looking for a less addictive alternative to morphine. Unfortunately, they missed the mark. Because of this, recipes to create the drug are easily found online and in old scientific journals. This makes it easy for chemists in Eastern Europe and Asia to reproduce the drug in large quantities. There is much less regulation in these parts of the world and so the drug is shipped online to the United States.
It can be found online for as little as $40 a gram. These prices are low on their own, but when the tiny amount of the drug necessary to get high is taken into consideration, it becomes extremely easy for someone to acquire a large supply. This has led dealers to purchase the drug and cutting other more expensive opiates with it – a trend that has become publicized as fentanyl overdoses fill the news.
Staying Aware of U-47700
For parents, it is important to understand how easy it is to access the drug. Young adults don’t need to have access to anything more than a credit or debit card and an internet connection to get it. Knowing what your loved ones are doing online and being aware of what is arriving in the mail can help you to stay ahead of the drug. Being knowledgeable about the signs of opiate abuse is also very important. If a child or young adult seems to be very itchy, appears to be nodding off, or gets agitated when they are not able to frequently excuse themselves from group settings, there may be opiate abuse taking place.
The DEA is working to schedule the drug and a few states have already made it illegal. Unfortunately, this has not stopped it from being widely available online for the moment. Keep yourself educated on current drug trends and stay ahead of the curve. While synthetic drugs are finally making their way into the public eye, they are constantly being released and altered – making education on their effects all the more important.
Last Updated on September 11, 2024
