W-18 Classified as Schedule I Opioid With Little Evidence of Potency
As of June 1, 2016, Health Canada has added W-18 to the Schedule I list under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as one of the most dangerous drugs known. W-18 has been classified as an opioid that is supposed to be 100 times stronger than fentanyl.
W-18 was first recognized as a potential analgesic in 1984, but it was never actually sold for commercial purposes. In 2015, it was initially exposed as a recreational drug in Canada after police seized small amounts of it in tablet form.
Following a recent case of a man who was found dead from an overdose, investigators have discovered that W-18 is being imported from China, most times online. Since then, there have been several drug raids where police have seized significant amounts of W-18, much more than before. In fact, many people that are users of heroine and other illegal drugs have unknowingly ingested W-18 mixed in with other drugs.
There is no doubt that W-18 has been listed as one of the most dangerous drugs classified on the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. But the question is, where is the scientific evidence supporting the potency of the drug itself? Although there have been improvements in seizing W-18 with police enforcement, there has been little discovery of whether or not W-18 is truly an opioid or how the drug operates in the human body.
One thing that is for certain is that the production, possession, importation, exportation, or trafficking of W-18 is now considered a serious criminal offence, and those who are found guilty of any of these crimes will be handed down strict penalties that include considerable jail time and legal fines.
The RCMP Of British Columbia will continue to watch closely for the chance to make arrests for W-18 use and trafficking. The punishments for being convicted are major, and those who are being investigated or booked for a criminal offence involving W-18 need to enlist the help of a skilled defence attorney without delay. Contact Julian van der Walle today.
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