# US restrictions on SR-17018 may impede studies of a potential opioid treatment

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-dea-banned-a-drug-some-opioid-users-called-a-miracle/
- Published: 2026-11-04T15:08:48+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T16:47:25+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/11/the-dea-banned-a-drug-some-opioid-users-called-a-miracle/
- Topics: Health, Medicine, Research, Science

## Key points

- The DEA placed SR-17018 in Schedule I.
- Researchers say the move may impede human studies.
- Some users report it helped them taper off opioids.

## Summary

Researchers say the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s decision to classify SR-17018 as a Schedule I drug could obstruct research into a potential opioid treatment. The compound reduced pain without suppressing breathing in mice, and some people who use opioids say it helped them taper off, but its effects and safety in humans have not been established.

The DEA imposed the emergency classification in late August, placing SR-17018 in the same category as heroin and describing it as having no accepted medical use and high abuse potential. University of South Florida researcher Laura Bohn says the restrictions make it difficult to manufacture, ship or handle the compound for planned safety studies. Two former users quoted in the article say they used it to stop taking other opioid-like drugs, though these individual accounts are not clinical evidence.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.