We have added some trending pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs to this year’s list.
Some examples:
Semaglutide: Semaglutide is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in two FDA-approved injectable prescription-only drugs: Ozempic and Wegovy. Ozempic is approved to help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. Wegovy is approved for weight loss. Both drugs contain semaglutide, but Wegovy is available at a higher dosage. Due to semaglutide’s immense popularity as a weight loss drug, violative merchants are selling this product—without requiring a prescription—on e-marketplaces and illegal pharmacy websites. It is also sometimes marketed as “GLP-1” on “peptide” websites that offer unapproved drugs to the bodybuilding community. If your merchant is selling semaglutide, make sure that it is authorized to do so.
THCO: In February 2023, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) asserted that THCO does not occur naturally in the cannabis plant—and therefore does not fall under the definition of “hemp.” Since THCO does not qualify as a hemp-derived cannabinoid, the DEA considers it a Schedule I controlled substance in the US. THCO (also known as delta-8 THCO and delta-9 THCO) is sometimes found on websites that sell CBD and delta-8 THC. If you onboard CBD merchants, make sure they are not also selling THCO.
Xylazine: Xylazine, which is a prescription-only large animal tranquilizer in the US and UK, is increasingly used as a cutting agent for street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. Xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. According to the DEA, there was a dramatic increase in xylazine-related overdose deaths across the United States between 2020 and 2021. The US Congress recently introduced the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act to deal with this growing threat. If passed, this law will significantly increase penalties for the unlawful use of this drug. Of course, xylazine can be sold legally by authorized merchants (e.g., veterinary pharmacies).
To ensure your team stays current on potentially violative pharmaceuticals and trending illegal drugs, download G2’s 2023 Drug Watch List.
