Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday announced an emergency rule to ban a type of synthetic drug that she said has caused multiple deaths in Florida.
The rule targets a drug known as U-47700, which Bondi's office said is usually found in powder or granular form but also can be made into a pill that appears like a prescription drug. It also can be found in liquid form and as a nasal spray.
Bondi has helped lead legislative efforts to outlaw synthetic drugs, but her office said U-47700's structure shielded it from regulation under current state law.
"Synthetic drugs are ruining lives and destroying families and we must do everything in our power to protect Floridians from these dangerous substances — that is why today I have emergency scheduled U-47700 and will continue to work with law enforcement to identify and outlaw harmful synthetic drugs as they appear," Bondi said in a prepared statement.
