Phenazepam, the Soviet-Made Designer Drug, Hits North Texas
In case you missed the September 2012 issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, here's a heads up: phenazepam, a powerful anti-anxiety drug sometimes sold as "Zannie" or "bonsai," is hitting the U.S. streets.
It's not exactly a new product -- it was developed in the 1970s by Soviet scientists to treat epilepsy, anxiety and sleep disorders -- but only recently has its recreational use spread, first to Western Europe and now to the United States.
It's several times more potent than valium, another benzodiazepine, and has been cited as the cause of a growing number of hospitalizations and deaths. Now -- cue the Sweeps Week-style freakout -- it's arrived in North Texas.
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Phenazepam currently isn't classified as a controlled substance under federal law (Arkansas and Louisiana have banned it), though dealers have been prosecuted on the grounds that it's not approved by the FDA for human consumption.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2014/03/phenazepam_the_soviet-made_des.php .
[font color=green]I'll stick with catnip.[/font] 