23 Apr Fentanyl could be classed as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ in US to stem tide of deaths from opioid 100 times stronger than heroin
THE opioid Fentanyl could be classed as a “weapon of mass destruction” in the US, as part of a drastic bid to lower overdose deaths.
The drug, which provides intense relief from severe pain, is said to be 100 times more powerful than heroin.
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The Department for Homeland Security now fears it has the potential to cause “mass casualty effects”.
Almost 400,000 people have died from opioids over the last 20 years, according to official statistics.
And 40,000 took place in 2017 alone.
What is fentanyl?
- Fentanyl is a strong opiod painkiller that is used by many patients around the world suffering from chronic conditions.
- It works by stopping pain signals being sent to the nerves in the brain, meaning users do not suffer any discomfort.
- Due to its strength, it is highly controlled by doctors and pharmacists and cannot be prescribed for children.
- It can be administered in patch form or can be injected into the body via a needle or a drip.
- Like most drugs, there is a high risk of overdosing on Fentanyl if you take more than the recommended dose.
- And due to the drug being a powerful opoid, overdosing on it can prove to be fatal.
- Police in cities across the US and Canada are also seeing people become hooked on the drug due to its highly-addictive nature.
- Some even combine the drug with heroin or cocaine to create an even more potent formula, that heightens it effect of feeling relaxed.
In a memo on World Mass Destruction, seen by defence magazine Task and Purpose: “[There is] a general consensus that fentanyl, in certain configurations, has properties that make it a chemical with the potential mass for casualty effects”.
Officials went on to express their fears that extremists or criminals could get their hands on the opiod to launch a chemical attack.
STRAIGHT KILLER
Fentanyl has been blamed for the opioid crisis currently gripping America as well as the high profile deaths of Prince and Mac Miller, among others.
Just before New Year, officials warned New Yorkers of taking cocaine as drug dealers had mixed it with the opoid.
Ray Donovan, from the New York branch of the Drug Enforcement Agency, told SiLive: “Fentanyl is not just a game changer, it ends games and ends lives.
“Fentanyl is the most lethal drug threat on our streets today because it is cheap, it is unregulated, it is being mixed with other drugs and it is man-made.”
Much of fentanyl found in the US, originates in China.
But it is often smuggled through Mexico, where it is often pressed into pills.
Authorities have found inconsistencies in the doses of fentanyl contained in the same batch of pills. Mexican cartels also produce the drug from precursor chemicals, mainly imported from China.
Fentanyl was first created in the 1960s as a treatment for cancer pain and a more powerful form, carfentanyl, is used to tranquilise elephants.
The drug – which is commonly cut into street heroin – hit headlines after musician Prince died from an accidental overdose in 2016.
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