“Opioid Users Found a ‘Miracle Drug’ to Help Them Quit. Then the DEA Banned It”

Key points

• In 2017, researchers reported SR-17018 could relieve pain in mice without respiratory depression.
• Bohn's team filed a patent and found SR-17018 helped mice reset morphine tolerance without withdrawal.
• SR-17018 circulated online among drug users as a potential aid to quit opioids.
• The DEA emergency-scheduled SR-17018 as Schedule I in late August, hindering human trials.
• Users and researchers say the ban removes a potential off-ramp from opioid dependence.