Iowa police warn parents about dangerous opioid 'pink'
A potentially deadly synthetic opioid called "pink" is showing up enough in central Iowa to prompt warnings from local authorities.
Pink, also called U4 or "pinky" — its formal name is U-47700 — has been identified in a handful of cases in Ames since June, said Ames police spokesman Cmdr. Geoff Huff. "But we know there are other ones out there that we don't know about," he said.
The Ames department specifically wanted to warn parents about the drug, which is perceived as being of highest risk to high school and college students, he said.
Huff declined to offer specific details on the U4 cases under investigation by police, but he said the drug has appeared as a white powder, sold online or through drug dealers on the street.Local users have reported buying heroin that was mixed with or replaced entirely with U4, which led to unintentionally ingesting a far more potent dose of the opioid than expected, Ames police said.
Because U4 is manufactured in illicit, unregulated labs, users can't fully know what's in the drug, which makes it more dangerous, police said. "It is super-dangerous stuff," Huff said.
Though Ames police have only encountered a few cases of U4 since June 2016, they want to warn the public before the problem becomes more widespread, as it has in other areas of the United States, Huff said.
Before June, Ames police had not seen this drug, he said. "It's new to us."
In November, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in an emergency order categorized U4 as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act, putting it among drugs with the highest potential for abuse or addiction, comparable to methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.
The DEA's action was a response to at least 46 deaths reportedly associated with U4, including 31 deaths in New York and 10 in North Carolina, according to a DEA news release.
Huff said Iowa tends to see trends after the coasts, so local authorities expect to see more U4 cases.
In June, four Iowa health and public safety agencies issued a joint statement warning the public about U4, as a response to a nonfatal overdose of the drug in eastern Iowa. That was Iowa's first overdose reportedly associated with U4.
Huff suggested parents pay attention to their children's activity online, which is one way to buy the drug. He also said to keep an eye out for drug paraphernalia.
Though Ames police have seen the drug locally in powder form, it can also be found as tablets, he said. Users have reported a variety of side effects, including nausea, headaches, euphoria, itchiness or respiratory depression, police said.
The appearance of U4 in Iowa coincides with an increase in opioid abuse nationwide, including increased use reported locally.
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