WHAT IS FENTANYL?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80 -100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients and applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse. Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico.

Source: The United States Drug Enforcement Administration

WHERE IS ILLICIT FENTANYL FOUND?

Fentanyl is found usually found in illicit powder substances or pressed opiate pills that are smuggled into the United States from Mexica, Chinese, and Indian-based drug trafficking organizations, and supply chains. Illicit fentanyl production and other chemical compound sourcing will most likely increase globally over the next few years. Some fentanyl analogs have been created by some pharmaceutical companies for legitimate use while other analogs have been specifically created to avoid certain drug laws.

HOW MUCH IS THE LETHAL AMOUNT OF FENTANYL?

2 milligrams (mg) of dry powder fentanyl is a “potentially lethal dose.” This general statement makes the point that a small amount can be deadly. In fact, the actual amount of fentanyl that will cause death varies depending on the person’s weight, whether they have used opioids before, their metabolism, their general health, and more. The amount of fentanyl that will kill a 110-lb person who has never ingested opioids will be different than the amount that will kill a 220-pound opioid-dependent user. Therefore, a “lethal dose” may not cause death to everyone who consumes it. Conversely, a person could die from an amount of fentanyl that is less than the “lethal dose” of 2mg.

HOW TO TEST FOR FENTANYL?

A person can test whether fentanyl has been illicitly mixed in their substances by testing with specified Fentanyl testing strips that can often detect small amounts of the opiate that may be present.

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