NEW JERSEY – Senator Doug Steinhardt’s (R-23) bill that would establish tianeptine, often referred to as ‘gas station heroin’, as a schedule II controlled dangerous substance unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in June.
“The unethical marketing tactics used by companies to promote a dangerous substance like tianeptine is giving a false sense of security to those looking for solutions to their mental and physical ailments,” said Steinhardt. “But with this bill, we could remove these dangerous products from our retail shelves and eliminate the concerns before they even start.”
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the New Jersey Poison Center (NJPIES) has recently identified a cluster of poisoning cases involving tianeptine, a substance with opioid-like effects that is being falsely marketed and sold across the state in gas stations and online as a dietary supplement.
U.S. poison control centers have seen an increase in reports of adverse reactions to tianeptine exposure over the past two decades. Tianeptine can cause opioid-like effects, as it binds to and acts as an agonist at the mu opioid receptors, according to the FDA.
