In a near-unanimous vote, the state House passed a bill Monday that would ban the sale of what’s been dubbed “gas station heroin,” or tianeptine.
“There are hundreds of documented cases from users becoming addicted, overdosing and dying, with one fatality in Fayette County a couple months ago and another fatality in Bucks County,” the bill’s sponsor, Andrew Kuzma (R-Washington) warned.
Tianeptine, which is legally prescribed as an antidepressant in some countries, is federally unregulated in America and sold in gas stations and head shops across the commonwealth. It produces opioid-like effects in high doses, and can also cause addiction, seizures, psychosis and loss of consciousness, according to the Partnership to End Addiction.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports of adverse effects from the substance are on the rise. Annual poison control center cases involving Tianeptine rose from four nationally in 2013 to around 350 in 2024.
Kuzma’s bill would make its sale, manufacture or distribution a felony in Pennsylvania, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $15,000.
The sponsor said on the floor his intent was not to “punish the victims.” Possession itself is not a crime, though possession with intent to manufacture or distribute would also be punishable as a felony.
Fifteen states, including Ohio, Michigan and Delaware, have already passed laws regulating the substance.
Only Reps. Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny) and Joe McAndrew (D-Allegheny) opposed the bill. Kinkead previously told the Capital-Star that she wouldn’t support an earlier version because it risked penalizing drug users and addicts.
The measure will have to be passed by the GOP-controlled Senate to move to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk for his signature.
