'Gas station heroin' no longer sold in Middleboro

 MIDDLEBORO -- “Gas station heroin’’ will no longer be sold in Middleboro.

Select Board members have agreed to ban the sale of two substances, Tianeptine and Kratom, which have been linked to addictions and overdoses.

Tianeptine, which is often marketed as Neptune and referred to as “gas station heroin,’’and Kratom, a plant-based substance with opioid-like effects, will be pulled from local gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops, Middleboro Health Director Kayla Smith said.

“These substances present a serious threat to public health,’’ she said. “My fear is that people are misguided and may take it and think it’s something else and get addicted.’’

She said that “vulnerable populations’’ including young people and those battling mental health concerns and/or substance use disorders, could especially be susceptible.

They substances are packaged in bright colors and often labeled as “natural or dietary supplements.’’ But they can have serious, even fatal, consequences, the United States Food and Drug Administration warns.

Poison control center cases involving tianeptine exposure have increased 525 percent from 2018 to 2023, the Food and Drug Administration reports.

Multiple deaths have been reported, particularly when  tianteptine is used alongside other substances, often fentanyl, the agency states.

Businesses in Middleboro  have raised no objections to the ban, Smith said. “Places aren’t saying it’s a big money maker,’’ she said.

But she worries that, without the ban, sales would grow “the more and more you hear of it.’’

Middleboro does not appear to be impacted by the substances but “we’re trying to stay ahead of it,’’ Smith said,

She also wants to make people aware. Although the substances are banned in Middleboro, other communities may still sell them.

The public “should know the risks that come with it. My getting rid of it doesn’t mean our neighbors’’ won’t stop selling it.