The rise of Opioid drugs has caused an uproar all over the world. It seems to be getting worse, as innocent kids are learning how to get their hands on these killers. And it’s not difficult, as the majority of drugs nowadays can be purchase with a simple click of a button. All they need is internet access, a little cash and an address to send the lethal substances to.
A recent toxicology test confirmed that two 13-year -old boys from Utah, overdosed on a synthetic drug that they purchased online. The drug, which is often called “Pink,” is the same drug that was discovered at the house of Prince after he died earlier this year. The drug is apparently still going strong as it took the lives of 13-year old Ryan Ainsworth and Grant Seaver of Park City, Utah.
Also known as U-47700, the drug is new to the opioid family, and it is said to be one that is synthesized overseas in labs. Since the recreational drug is still considered so new, it has not been listed as illegal.
How on earth did such a lethal drug make its way to Park City, Utah?
Simple. All it took was for a group of teenagers to get together and order the drug online. It was shipped from China and got into the hands of one of the teenagers who has been charged with distribution of a controlled substance and reckless endangerment.
Considering the drug can easily be purchased online for $40, there is no telling what it is laced with, and like other opioids on the market, it is impossible to gauge how much is safe to take. There is a fine line between simply taking a drug for recreational purposes and falling into a fatal overdose.
There weren’t too many clues left behind, when both Ainsworth and Seaver were separately found dead by their parents back in September. Further research by investigators showed conversations about U-47700 on their social media accounts, which led them to believe that the boys took the drug, which brought them to their deaths.
And it’s no surprise that the drug was strong enough to cause such a tragedy. U-47700 is said to be nearly eight times more powerful than morphine and it has been the cause of at least 50 deaths across the world.
According to the history surrounding the drug, U-47700 was originally developed by a pharmaceutical manufacturer back in the 70s and it was used as an alternative to morphine. And now the drug is yet another source that has led to the opioid epidemic, due to the fact that chemists in China and Eastern Europe can easily put the ingredients together from the recipes that they’ve found in old scientific journals and online patent records.
Investigators are currently researching how to get to the individuals who are behind the drug and to put a stop to it before it spreads even further. Kids nowadays are learning how to use the internet at a very young age, and there is no telling what they will be capable of in just a short amount of time in front of the screen.
