This Obscure DEA Update Could Help the War Against Gas Station Heroin

By Staff Reports

The latest update to a federal watch list of dangerous chemicals used to concoct controlled substances was meant to curb America’s fentanyl crisis. Instead, it could help thwart another synthetic drug epidemic emerging in independent and foreign-owned convenience stores and smoke shops across the country: Gas Station Heroin.

Earlier this month, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new round of revisions to its Special Surveillance List. Established under the 1996 Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act and first published in 1999, this little-known government register catalogs the chemicals, products, materials, and equipment most often employed in the clandestine manufacture of controlled substances or listed chemicals.

Last updated in 2023, the current version of the Special Surveillance List went into effect on June 4, and it now includes laboratory supplies used to produce and distribute synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, amphetamine, methamphetamine, PCP, LSD, and ketamine. 

These additions to the list reflect the federal government’s heightened focus on fighting fentanyl trafficking networks that are devastating U.S. communities. Drug overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, and fentanyl use is a primary driver of those fatalities.

In May, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced one of the biggest fentanyl trafficking busts in the nation’s history, resulting in 16 arrests and the seizure of millions of fentanyl pills. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel revealed this month that the bureau is working with India’s government to slow the flow of fentanyl’s key ingredients from China. 

Thankfully, the fentanyl crisis has shown some recent signs of subsiding, especially among young Americans. Fentanyl and other drugs killed roughly 16,690 people under the age of 35 in 2024, down from over 31,000 deaths in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The CDC in February also reported a nearly 24 percent decline in overall drug overdose deathscompared to the previous year. Experts have attributed these trends to a variety of factors, from improved addiction treatment and Narcan access to increased rates of drug abstention among teenagers. 

Despite positive developments on the fentanyl front, a different synthetic drug epidemic has continued to grow unabated in the form of Gas Station Heroin. Originally used in reference to the opioid-like antidepressant tianeptine, the term now encompasses a range of foreign lab-made substances including nitrous oxide, semi-synthetic alkaloid products, and intoxicating hemp.

Although chemically designed to mimic the effects of opioids and other narcotics, Gas Station Heroin products are rarely labeled as such and are often sold alongside everyday snacks and beverages. The businesses behind the trade import these products and their precursors from China and India, frequently operate on a cash-only basis, lack financial transparency, and sidestep taxes and public health oversight. 

In short, this coordinated syndicate hides in plain sight: It exploits gaps in enforcement to drive addiction and profit, while poisoning American communities with candy-colored packaging and “all natural” branding. That’s why Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary told Congress last month his agency had already begun taking action against the synthetic Gas Station Heroin threat.

While those FDA countermeasures are certainly welcome, the recent revisions to the DEA’s Special Surveillance List could represent an even more effective effort by the federal government to stamp out Gas Station Heroin.

Here’s how: Among the laboratory supplies newly mentioned in the DEA inventory are five chemical compounds — dicalcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide, and stearic acid — used as “binding, disintegrating, filling, flowing, and lubricating agents” in the manufacture of many Gas Station Heroin products. 

Make no mistake, the multi-billion-dollar international drug cartel behind Gas Station Heroin will continue to find ways to skirt government detection, likely by substituting these chemicals with other unflagged substances. Further action will be necessary to enforce existing laws, punish false marketing, and prevent regulatory misclassification.

For now, however, the updated Special Surveillance List is a good place to start. The DEA should be applauded for its initiative to help stop Gas Station Heroin.