Elephant Sedative Mixed With Heroin

There has been a lot of discussion lately about mixing fentanyl with heroin, or overdosing on fentanyl that they thought was heroin. Fentanyl is a powerful analgesic, between 80 and 100 times more potent than morphine and as much as 50 times stronger than pharmaceutical grade heroin. The drug causes severe respiratory depression that makes it extremely deadly, which is why we have seen an uptick in fentanyl overdoses in recent years.

Fentanyl was never intended to be used without close medical supervision, yet Mexican cartels are manufacturing the drug in scores to be sold in the United States. The growing demand for heroin in the wake of prescription drug prescribing crackdowns has lead illegal drug manufacturers and dealers to come up with novel ways of making it. This has led to the sale of mock OxyContin (oxycodone) pills that are actually comprised of fentanyl. A pill that is significantly more deadly than your typical oxycodone medication.

If emergency departments weren't busy enough with opioid overdoses, it turns out that a drug used to sedate elephants is being mixed with or sold as heroin, NBC News reports. The drug, carfentanil (which is used to tranquilize elephants), is 100 times as potent as fentanyl and has led to a number of overdoses in several states recently.

This week, an Ohio man was indicted on 20 counts, after selling carfentanil which led to nine overdoses and one overdose death, according to the article. The overdose death brought the man a murder charge. Everyone thought they were buying heroin, but lab tests showed the contrary. It is likely that we will see many more deaths in the future related to carfentanil.

"It certainly is a very disturbing trend," said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. 

If you or a loved one is battling with opioid addiction please reach out to Celebrate Hope at Hope By The Sea. Celebrate Hope is the Christian residential drug rehab and alcohol treatment program.