Connecticut moved this week to outlaw tianeptine, kratom, and five other unregulated drugs, signaling a tougher stance on what critics call “gas station heroin” and targeting distributors as the ban takes effect on Wednesday.

Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection and Attorney General William Tong announced the ban and added 7-hydroxymitragynine, Bromazolam, Flubromazolam, Nitazenes, and Phenibut to the list alongside tianeptine and kratom. Fourteen states now list tianeptine as a controlled substance, and kratom is banned in at least seven states. The move is part of a broader pattern of states acting where federal action has lagged.

Attorney General Tong made clear the state won’t treat this as a paperwork exercise; he said enforcement will focus on supply chains and sellers. That was reinforced by his pledge to notify manufacturers and distributors directly, a practical step to cut sources off quickly. The message is unmistakable: Connecticut will not quietly tolerate these products on shelves.

“Today, I am mailing letters to every known distributor and manufacturer of these substances to ensure full awareness and compliance with the law.”

Tong followed the mailing announcement with a blunt warning aimed squarely at sellers who ignore the new rules. His tone left little room for gamesmanship and underscored the state’s intent to pursue accountability. Retailers operating in multiple states will have to pay attention if they want to keep doing business with Connecticut customers.

“These companies are on notice—if you sell in Connecticut, we will know, and we will hold you accountable.”

These products get called “gas station heroin” for a reason: they appear beside energy drinks and protein bars, packaged like innocuous supplements and sold with no prescriptions, no age checks, and no FDA blessing. That reality has left vulnerable people, including teens and low-income shoppers, exposed to addictive chemicals marketed as wellness aids. It’s a classic case of profit-driven disguise meeting regulatory inattention.

Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli summarized the danger plainly, saying these substances were never vetted for safety and were being offered in places easily accessed by children and other vulnerable groups. The state’s description frames the issue as deception, not a debate over personal choice. When a product is marketed as health-promoting but is untested and addictive, regulators have to step in.

“These substances have no approved medical use and have been widely available for sale in establishments easily accessed by children and other vulnerable populations. These products were never regulated, tested, or otherwise deemed safe for human consumption, but have been marketed as health products, misleading people to assume they are safe when, in fact, they are addictive, have a high potential for misuse, and pose a serious threat to public health and safety.”

The Food and Drug Administration has been clear that tianeptine is not approved for any medical use in the United States and called out companies selling high-dose, unapproved products with dangerous claims. Federal regulators described the marketing as making unproven promises about treating depression, pain, and even opioid use disorder. Those federal findings reinforce the state’s move and give Connecticut solid legal footing.

“Tianeptine, a drug, is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any medical use. Despite that, some companies are distributing and selling unlawful products containing tianeptine to consumers, including products with high doses. They are also making dangerous and unproven claims that tianeptine can improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder, and other conditions.”

Public health experts and some federal voices have already sounded alarms about the free availability of these substances. That national attention matters, but the reality is enforcement has fallen to state leaders who see the harm on their streets. Republicans should be clear-eyed about this: protecting communities from harmful, deceptively marketed products is a legitimate, limited exercise of government power.

The political case is straightforward and conservative in tone: this is not a grab for authority but a basic duty to protect children and honest consumers from fraud. Companies that label addictive, unapproved drugs as wellness items and sell them at convenience stores are exploiting gaps in regulation, not exercising free enterprise in good faith. When markets are distorted by deception, public intervention is warranted.

Tong also asked ordinary consumers to help enforce the ban, a pragmatic move given limited enforcement manpower and the ubiquity of these products in corner stores. His request was direct and uncompromising: do not buy these items and alert authorities if you see them. It’s an appeal to civic responsibility as much as law enforcement.

“These products are unsafe, untested, and if you see them, do not purchase them and call the police.”

The practical picture is a patchwork of state bans interrupting national distributors, which is better than nothing but still imperfect. A distributor blocked in Connecticut can keep shipping to states that haven’t acted, so the risk spills across borders. That patchwork dynamic argues for more states to move quickly and for federal regulators to consider clearer, consistent nationwide rules.

Connecticut’s ban is a concrete step, not an ideological stunt, and it puts sellers on notice that deceptive, dangerous products won’t be tolerated. Thirteen other states have already restricted tianeptine, and more bans are likely in the months ahead. For now, the shelves still hold products that look harmless but are not, and consumers need to know the truth about what they’re buying.