The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Thursday announced that it has classified a modified deworming drug as dangerous after it was found being used as an alternative for ecstasy.

DDB Chairman Vicente Sotto III, after having announced his resignation to run for the Senate, declared that the drug NBenzylpiperazine (BZP) has been classified as a dangerous drug.

Sotto said the DDB has classified the BZP as a dangerous drug after anti-narcotics police recently were forced to release and file no charges against an arrested drug dealer since BZP has not yet been listed as a dangerous drug.

“Nakalusot yung nagbebenta ng droga kasi di pa classified ang BZP bilang dangerous drug (the dealer got away because BZP is not classified as an illegal drug),” Sotto lamented during a press conference at the DBB Thursday morning.

Sotto cited that BZP, which is sold at P1,200 per tablet, is still manufactured outside the country and is not available in any drug store in the Philippines.

The DBB said that BZP, which has been called “Mimic Ecstasy,” is also known as A2, Benny Bear, Benny, Frenzy, and Nemesis. The tablet is found in colors of pink, white, off-white, orange, tan or motte orange-brown.

Sr. Supt. Francisco Uyami Jr., deputy commander of the Philippine National Police Anti-Il legal Drugs Special Operations Task Force, noted that the Philippines is the first country to have classified BZP as a dangerous drug.

The police official explained that piperazine alone has been used as a deworming drug for humans and animals.

However, Uyami pointed out that BZP, which is a modified piperzine, has the same effects as ecstasy but the only difference is that BZP is 10 percent less potent. He bared that he first learned of BZP’s use during the arrest of drug dealer in drug buybust operation last June at the SM City North EDSA where 1,000 tablets of BZP were seized.

The police official said that he initially thought that the suspect was selling ecstacy but lab analysis showed that the tablets were BZP. He lamented that the suspect was eventually released and charges against him dropped because BZP has not been classified as a dangerous drug.