Los Angeles City Council moves to curb sale of unregulated phenibut

In a unanimous decision, the Los Angeles City Council instructed the City Attorney to prepare new regulations governing phenibut, a Soviet-era substance marketed as a brain-boosting supplement and sold openly at gas stations and convenience stores. The proposed rules would restrict purchases to adults over 21, ban sales within a certain distance of schools and daycare centers, and mandate warning labels about potential dependence and severe side effects.

Councilmember Heather Hutt, who authored the motion, cited concerns raised by Marlborough High School senior Nina Paquette about the drug’s appeal to teenagers and its lack of federal oversight. Phenibut is not approved as a dietary supplement and functions similarly to benzodiazepines, with reports of addiction, seizures, hallucinations and even coma. While it remains legal in Russia for medical use, several U.S. jurisdictions, including Utah, have prohibited it. The council still needs to vote on the final ordinance language before the regulations become law.