health
John Oliver on gas station drugs: ‘Dangerous substances that can be made by just about anyone’
The Last Week Tonight host dug into the unregulated ‘wild west’ of kratom, boner pills and ‘gas station heroin’
TL;DR
- Gas station drugs, often brightly colored, are sold in convenience stores promising various effects like energy, pain relief, or sexual enhancement.
- Many of these unregulated products contain dangerous substances like tianeptine ('gas station heroin') and kratom, which have opioid-like properties and can lead to addiction and death.
- Companies exploit regulatory loopholes by labeling products as 'for research purposes only' or 'dietary supplements', bypassing FDA testing and approval.
- Sexual enhancement drugs are particularly concerning, with some found to contain active ingredients from Viagra and Cialis, while others contained non-pharmaceutical substances like printer ink and drywall.
- Kratom and its synthesized compound 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) have been linked to thousands of deaths, with potential for undercounting due to lack of detection in investigations.
- Tianeptine, while prescribed as an antidepressant in Europe, is unapproved by the FDA in the US and has been associated with overdoses and deaths.
- Oliver criticized the lack of oversight, comparing the situation to having dangerous items sold alongside everyday products.
- He stressed the importance of having support plans for individuals addicted to or using these substances for medical reasons when bans are considered, referencing lessons learned from the opioid crisis.