North Carolina, United States — A statewide prohibition on a narcotic known as ‘gas station heroin’ will take effect on Sunday.
Tianeptine will be outlawed in North Carolina beginning December 1.
Governor Roy Cooper signed the restriction into law in early July.
In June, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation prohibiting the sale or possession of tianeptine.
WFMY News 2’s Chad Silber met with a Montgomery County lady whose son is struggling with heroin addiction in May. She told Silber that she tried to persuade her son to stop.
“It breaks your heart when you’ve carried that child in you and you love them and you want the best for them, I mean every parent does,” according to the lady.
The woman described the medicine as follows: “The withdrawals are awful, very bad muscle and bone aches.”
Silber also spoke with Representative Stephen Ross in June, following the bill’s passage. Ross was a main sponsor of the drug ban legislation.
“I don’t think I slept very much (last night) because I did not want to let these people down who have desperately emailed us and contacted us and given us the stories of what this has done to their families or loved ones, and I just could not let go,” Ross told the crowd.
What is tianeptine?
The National Institutes of Health classifies tianeptine as an antidepressant. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, tianeptine is not licensed for any medicinal application.
The FDA has issued a caution not to purchase items containing tianeptine.