THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) warned Friday the public on the inclusion of seven additional substances in the list of dangerous drugs based on the recommendations of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).
PDEA Director General Isidro Lapeña cited the various decisions of the CND during its 59th Session classifying the seven substances with the appropriate controls as provided in the Schedules of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971.
These include acetylfentanyl, MT-45, para-methoxymethylamphetamine (PMMA), alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (a-PVP), para-methylaminorex (4,4'-DMAR), methoxetamine (MXE), and phenazepam.
Acetylfentanyl is a powerful painkiller, which is five times more potent than heroin. It is disguised as oxycodone. Manifestations of overdose are lethargic look, disoriented, shallow breathing, a slow heart rate and low blood pressure.
MT-45 is a piperazine derivative with potent analgesic activity comparable to morphine.
PMMA is a stimulant and psychedelic recreational drug, which may be used as substitute to ecstasy. It has hallucinogenic effect and can cause fatal rise in temperature.
A-PVP is a psychomotor stimulant which may cause cardiotoxicity, violent behavior and display of psychotic behavior.
4,4’-DMAR is a synthetic stimulant designer drug related to 4-methylaminorex and pemoline. It is a new and potentially lethal designer drug.
MXE is a new recreational drug, structural analog of ketamine with potent hallucinogenic properties.
Phenazepam is a benzodiazepine with anxiolytic, euphoric, anti-convulsant, amnestic, muscle relaxant, and hypnotic (sleep-inducing) effects.
"Based on the foregoing recommendations, PDEA...will include these substances in the regulatory monitoring of license registration, and import/export permit authorization and will arrest those possessing these new dangerous drugs," Lapeña said.