Calling the deadly drug pink a “Russian roulette scenario,” the federal Drug Enforcement Administration put the synthetic opioid on the highest list for dangerous drugs. On Monday, U-47700 will be listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, at least temporarily.
U-47700, also known as “pinkie,” is linked to the death of two Park City teenagers, eighth-grade students at Treasure Mountain Junior High School, in September. Available online, it’s responsible for 46 deaths in the U.S. over the past two years, including at least four in Utah.
Because the U-47700 production is unregulated, the DEA says, “the identity, purity and quantity are unknown, creating a ‘Russian Roulette’ scenario for any user.”
Park City School District will screen the anti-drug film Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict on Dec. 6 at the Eccles Center.