The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) temporarily placed one of the drugs that killed the singer Prince, U-47700, on its Schedule I list of narcotics Wednesday.
Prince was found dead in his home in Minnesota in April. He died from overdosing on multiple drugs.
U-47700 is an extremely powerful drug that is made in China; it’s far more lethal than heroin. The drug was originally developed as an alternative to morphine in the 1970s. It is eight times stronger than morphine, and 50 deaths in the U.S. have been linked to use of U-47700.
The drug is often sold through the Internet, which is in part why the DEA decided to classify it as a Schedule I substance. In its Notice of Intent, the DEA said it is taking action against the drug because it is, “necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety.”
Federal action against the sale and use of U-47700 comes after multiple states have increasingly been forced to ban the sale of the powerful drug. The it has already been banned in Wyoming, Georgia and Ohio. As of June, Kansas is considering banning the drug at the behest of law enforcement officials.
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