BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Officials are very concerned after a Bloomington couple overdosed on a very powerful drug that is just starting to show up on the street.
A 21-year-old female and a 25-year-old male died last week after snorting a lethal dose of U-47700. The drug was patented by Upjohn in the 1970s as a veterinary tranquilizer and is eight times more powerful than morphine. The drug was never intended for human consumption.
Officials are troubled because the substance is available through online sources for $125 per gram. The drug has been blamed for 50 deaths in the United States since June. Ohio lawmakers are working to impose an emergency ban on U-47700.