DEA takes action against illicit manufacture of fentanyl

The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a final rule in the July 25 Federal Register, stating that it is classifying N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (NPP) as a List I chemical under the Controlled Substances Act. Driving this measure is that clandestine laboratories are using this chemical to illicitly produce the Schedule II controlled substance fentanyl. In another development, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reported that from April 4, 2005, through March 28, 2007, a total of 1,013 deaths were attributed to nonpharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF)-related deaths. CDC commented that this is the largest NPF epidemic ever reported. Even so, it is underreported because it reflects fatalities in only six jurisdictions.

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