The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously voted to draft new regulations for phenibut, a powerful, unregulated substance increasingly sold in gas stations and convenience stores, often marketed to young people.
The council instructed the City Attorney to develop ordinances that would restrict sales of phenibut to individuals under 21, prohibit sales near schools and daycare centers, and mandate warning labels. The proposed regulations aim to address the growing concern over the accessibility and potential dangers of the drug, which is a central nervous system depressant.
Councilmember Heather Hutt, who introduced the motion, stated that phenibut is being sold openly to minors with no age restrictions or adequate warnings about its risks, emphasizing that "this ends now." The issue was brought to the council's attention by Nina Paquette, a high school senior who highlighted the drug's marketing towards children and the severe risks of dependence.
Phenibut is not federally regulated and cannot be legally sold as a dietary supplement, yet it remains readily available in Los Angeles convenience stores. Paquette noted that it is often marketed on social media as "smart drugs" or "brain boosters," leaving teenagers unaware of its potential for addiction, seizures, hallucinations, psychosis, and coma.
In Russia, phenibut is a prescription medication for various conditions, functioning similarly to benzodiazepines. It has been banned in several countries and the state of Utah due to its addictive potential and severe withdrawal symptoms. Studies indicate it can lead to respiratory distress, coma, and death, with researchers warning that its effects are not well understood in Western medicine.
This action follows previous efforts by Los Angeles to regulate unregulated substances sold in commercial establishments. The synthetic drug kratom and its alkaloid 7-OH, also previously unregulated and sold in similar outlets, were linked to multiple overdose deaths in Los Angeles County last year and have since faced regulatory action and removal from shelves across California.
