FRANKFORT, Ky. — A drug known as “gas station heroin” because it is so new that stores have been selling it over the counter is going out of business in Kentucky.

Gov. Andy Beshear signed an emergency regulation yesterday classifying the drug tianeptine as a Schedule I controlled substance.

“Today, Kentucky became a safer place,” Gov. Beshear said. “Until now, someone looking for a heroin-like high could walk into certain places or buy this harmful product online. We’re committed to protecting Kentuckians from this kind of harm, and if someone is struggling with abuse, we’re here to help.”

The drug is currently unregulated, leading to it being openly sold in convencience stores and online under names such as ZaZa, Tianna and Pegasus. It is said to produce an opioid-like high, and it can produce a number of side effects, including rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, slowed breathing, coma and death.

Reports of negative effects from the drug have been increasing as it becomes more widely known.

With the regulation, sales of tianeptine are now prohibited in Kentucky.