GoKawiilDEA Emergency-Schedules Experimental Opioid-Withdrawal Compound SR-17018
The DEA classified SR-17018, an experimental compound developed by University of South Florida researchers, as a Schedule I controlled substance in late August. The drug had been studied as a potential pain reliever that avoids the respiratory depression common to opioids, and some online drug-user communities had begun using it, unregulated by the FDA, to ease withdrawal and reduce opioid tolerance. Lead researcher Laura Bohn says the scheduling now blocks her team from testing, shipping, or manufacturing the compound for further safety studies.
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The scheduling illustrates a recurring tension between drug-policy enforcement and early-stage addiction research, since substances showing therapeutic promise can be restricted before clinical trials establish their safety or efficacy. Bohn's account suggests the DEA's move could stall or end a line of research into non-lethal opioid alternatives at a moment when overdose deaths remain a major public health concern. The case may also fuel broader debate over how regulators balance abuse-potential risks against potential medical benefits of novel compounds circulating informally among drug users.
- SR-17018 was developed by USF researchers with NIDA funding as a potential safer opioid alternative.
- The DEA designated it Schedule I in late August, citing high abuse potential and no accepted medical use.
- Researcher Laura Bohn says the classification halts her ability to test, ship, or produce the compound for planned clinical studies.
Source: wired.com — Manisha Krishnan, 2026-11-03
Published there as: “Opioid Users Found a ‘Miracle Drug’ to Help Them Quit. Then the DEA Banned It”
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