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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Nine Things You Need to Know About Fentanyl

Fentanyl has moved to the pinnacle of media and law enforcement attention amid the growing number of overdoses and deaths of Canada's youth.

Used as a powerful pain reliever in medical settings, Fentanyl is being manufactured by criminal organizations with little regard for quality control. Like most synthetic street drugs, Fentanyl can be cut with any powdery substance, legal or not, toxic or otherwise. And that is what makes Fentanyl so dangerous.

Here are nine things you need to know about Fentanyl...

1) Medically speaking, Fentanyl is an opioid used to treat persistent chronic and severe pain. It acts on the brain to increase pain tolerance.

2) The top two sources of Fentanyl are pharmaceutical manufacturers and Mexican drug cartels. But do not be fooled by this statistic. Illicit Fentanyl pills cut with whatever someone wants to add, can be cranked out by any remedial teen in a basement or garage.

3) Illicitly manufactured Fentanyl has been discovered in
  • Pill form being sold as fake oxys and other club drugs
  • Powder form sold as heroin or fent
  • Powder form mixed into other drugs (heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, etc)

4) Fentanyl binds to the body's opiate receptors that are highly concentrated in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions, and drive up dopamine levels in the brain's reward areas, producing a state of euphoria and relaxation.

5) Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

6) For science nerds, the molecular formula for Fentanyl is C22H28N2O.

7) A large percentage of Fentanyl overdoses are due to users being unaware they are taking Fentanyl. Medical tests have confirmed this. Bottom line is you do not have to knowingly use Fentanyl to be at risk from a Fentanyl overdose.

8) Street names for Fentanyl include China White, China Girl, Dance Fever, Goodfella, Jackpot, Murder 8, TNT, and Tango & Cash

9) Know the signs of a Fentanyl overdose. They include...
  • Severe sleepiness
  • Slow heartbeat
  • Trouble breathing
  • Slow shallow breathing or snoring
  • Cold clammy skin
  • Trouble walking or talking


Links: 

British Columbia Harm Reduction Program 
National Institute on Drug Abuse 
StreetDrugs.org 

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