A new synthetic opioid, cychlorphine, is emerging in illicit drug markets and forensic labs, raising fresh concerns for public health and law enforcement. Its distinct chemistry and ease of synthesis make it harder to track, underscoring how prohibition continues to drive the evolution of more potent and unpredictable drugs.
  • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafeEnglish
    10·
    3 months ago

    Wow, never heard of it or the nitezines.

    This is an interesting bit:

    This is the iron law of prohibition — the harder the enforcement, the harder the drug — functioning at the molecular level.

    It is worth asking what we have gained from the massive effort required to tame fentanyl. Perhaps we have bought a temporary respite by suppressing one monster. But prohibition does not end the arms race — it accelerates it. And cychlorphine may simply be the latest creation of that policy.

    It’s important to understand the “opiod epidemic” didn’t occur until after the feds clamped down on prescriptions. The evidence is quite clear on this. Opiod use (especially illicit) skyrocketed afterwards.

    • Doomsider@lemmy.world
      4·
      3 months ago

      If you are arguing for harm reduction I agree completely. The problem was that opioid use exploded because of over prescribing being driven by greedy corporations and regulatory capture.

      A certain percentage of society is known as opioid responders. They have a very overwhelming experience when given opioids which can lead quickly to dependence and a life-long drug disorder. You can’t put the cat back into the bag so to speak which is why over prescribing caused an epidemic.

      You are correct that the feds clamping down on opioid prescribing caused the lethality to increase due to a shift from the legal to illegal markets hence the need for harm reduction. Every opioid death is preventable.