Health
DEA emergency-schedules SR-17018, a compound used to taper off opioids
Wired reports the DEA placed SR-17018 in Schedule I in late August, citing no accepted medical use and high abuse potential.
The short version
- The DEA emergency-scheduled SR-17018 as a Schedule I controlled substance in late August, placing it alongside heroin.[Wired]
- Researchers including Laura Bohn reported in 2017 that SR-17018 relieved pain in mice without causing respiratory depression.[Wired]
- Jim Bates says SR-17018 helped him taper off MGM-15 in about three weeks after he found it in online quitting groups.[Wired]
- Wired reports the scheduling lasts two years with a possible one-year extension, and the DEA could make it permanent.[Wired]
Key facts
- The DEA emergency-scheduled SR-17018 as a Schedule I controlled substance in late August, citing no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.[Wired]
- In 2017, Laura Bohn and other scientists reported in the journal Cell that SR-17018 relieved pain in mice without causing respiratory depression.[Wired]
- Bohn says her team has filed a patent on SR-17018.[Wired]
- Jim Bates says he took about three weeks to taper off MGM-15 using SR-17018 after searching online groups for quitting advice.[Wired]
- A DEA notice says the agency found two samples of the drug in two states since 2025 through the National Forensic Laboratory Information System.[Wired]
- Denver attorney Robert Rush filed a request to stop the emergency scheduling, arguing the drug has a lower risk profile than other banned synthetic opioids.[Wired]
- The emergency scheduling lasts two years with a potential one-year extension, and the DEA could permanently schedule the drug during that period.[Wired]
What remains uncertain
- Michael speculates the federal government may have banned SR-17018 to protect a multibillion-dollar industry from disruption; this is unverified speculation.[Wired]
- The pain-relief findings come from mouse studies, and the reporting does not establish how the drug affects people.[Wired]
- The DEA notice says SR-17018 may leave users more vulnerable to overdose after resetting opioid tolerance, though it notes abstinence carries the same risk.[Wired]
- Rush says the DEA never responded to his request, so the agency's position on his lower-risk argument is not reported.[Wired]
- Whether the DEA will permanently schedule SR-17018 remains unknown, since that process requires public and scientific input.[Wired]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.