Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction
-
The Pernicious Myth of Fentanyl-Laced Cannabis
Ohio coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco was quoted at a press conference saying that “we have seen fentanyl mixed with cocaine, we have also seen fentanyl mixed with marijuana.” In a follow-up piece in Vice, Sammarco clarified that she had, in fact, not seen evidence of fentanyl-contaminated cannabis, but was instead repeating something that her co-presenter, US Senator Rob Portman, had told her before that presser—and she didn’t know where he sourced his information. Further reporting found no good evidence of fentanyl-laced bud, and instead only speculation, the suspicions of anxious parents and social media hearsay.
Even in cases where someone dies of fentanyl poisoning and postmortem drug tests are positive for THC, chances are high that these drugs were used separately. THC famously lingers in the body’s fat for days or weeks, resulting in positive THC tests well after the last use of the substance.
What about oral fentanyl?
Fentanyl in particular is low-risk if eaten because it doesn’t work well when given orally. While there are formulations of fentanyl that are absorbed through the inside of the cheek or under the tongue, when swallowed it’s heavily broken down by our liver before the drug has a chance to get to the brain. As such, fentanyl isn’t manufactured as a pill or liquid to swallow.
What about fentanyl vapes?
Fentanyl’s boiling point is 466℃, or about 871℉. For comparison, I consulted the sites for two popular brands of vape used for cannabis: Pax and Grenco. Pax states that the hottest temperature reached by its products is 210℃. Grenco, maker of the G Pen, states that the highest setting of this device gets to 220℃.
This makes sense, as the boiling points for the desirable compounds in cannabis, like THC, CBD and the many terpenes, don’t exceed this temperature. An excessively hot device could potentially release harmful compounds, but would also be less pleasant for the user and run down the battery more quickly. So while fentanyl can be vaped, it needs high heat to get there, and the devices used to vape cannabis simply don’t get that hot.
-
Jesus, this crap continues...
An East St. Louis police officer and two EMS workers responding to a possible overdose call ended up in a hospital emergency room after they were exposed to fentanyl, according to Police Chief Kendall Perry.
The incident happened on Sunday afternoon, June 18, at a home in the 800 block of Bre-Mar Drive, where a man in his 60s was reported to have overdosed on fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid.
“There was quite a bit of it on scene,” Perry said. “One of our officers ended up getting exposed to it and had to be transported to Memorial Hospital.”
When police arrived at the home, they found the man responsive but confused. “He refused medical treatment” Perry said.
Besides the officer, Perry confirmed that two EMS workers who were exposed to the fentanyl on scene had to be taken to the hospital. The officer and workers were treated and released.
Perry said agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration now have the substance. “It was fentanyl, possibly mixed with meth,” Perry said.
The chief did not release the names of the officer or EMS workers who were exposed to the drugs.
Officer Tia Mitchell of the East St. Louis Police Department confirmed to the BND that she had to go to the hospital after exposure to the drugs.
She said she was given Narcan twice, once by a co-worker and a second time by a paramedic on scene. Narcan is a life-saving drug that can be used to resuscitate people who have overdosed on opioids.
The East St. Louis Fire Department also was at the scene and hosed the officer down before she was taken to the hospital, Perry said.
Mitchell told the BND she was exposed to the fentanyl when a woman who had been in the residence brought it outside in a Ziplock bag.
Mitchell said she blacked out so she doesn’t remember too much about the incident. But she said she is grateful to her fellow officer who had Narcan with him.
“Thank God for Narcan. If he didn’t have it with him, we don’t know what would’ve happen,” Mitchell said
Asked whether officers carry Narcan on them routinely, Mitchell said not that she’s aware of.
She said she feels it should be required and provided by the police department in all squad cars “for our safety and the safety of the citizens if they are overdosing.”
Narcan is provided to all officers, said Perry, the chief. Each officer gets at least two boxes that they can carry with them, he said.
Perry said that while officers are not required to carry Narcan, he believes that it is important that they have it. When they run out, they can come to the office for more, the chief said.
Mitchell said she had to seek additional medical evaluation after she was treated and released from the hospital’s emergency room and is still off work.
“This is not an easy thing to go through,” Mitchell said.
In 40 years of popping open fentanyl ampules, probably spilling some on my skin, I'm shocked that I lived long enough to retire.
Twitter doc: "First responder hosed down by fire department and given multiple doses of narcan after approached by person with fentanyl in a ziploc baggie. Person carrying the baggie apparently some kind of magical fentanyl resistant zombie."
-
@George-K said in Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction:
Again...
Do you think what he was experiencing was psychosomatic?
I guess if you've been told again and again that Fentanyl can do this, then there's a chance it's going to happen without a physical reason.
-
@George-K said in Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction:
Again...
Do you think what he was experiencing was psychosomatic?
I guess if you've been told again and again that Fentanyl can do this, then there's a chance it's going to happen without a physical reason.
@Doctor-Phibes said in Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction:
Do you think what he was experiencing was psychosomatic?
I guess if you've been told again and again that Fentanyl can do this, then there's a chance it's going to happen without a physical reason.
Totally possible that it's psychosomatic. Heat stroke? Other "panic" attack?
Remember, if you're breathing and standing, and talking, you're not overdosing on a narcotic.
It's unfortunate that this kind of misinformation makes its way through the law enforcement community.
Maybe YouTube and Google will censor it?As I said, of the thousands of ampules of fentanyl I've opened, I'm sure I spilled some on my hands. It's a wonder I'm alive. See my trophy, above.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
-
@Doctor-Phibes said in Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction:
Do you think what he was experiencing was psychosomatic?
I guess if you've been told again and again that Fentanyl can do this, then there's a chance it's going to happen without a physical reason.
Totally possible that it's psychosomatic. Heat stroke? Other "panic" attack?
Remember, if you're breathing and standing, and talking, you're not overdosing on a narcotic.
It's unfortunate that this kind of misinformation makes its way through the law enforcement community.
Maybe YouTube and Google will censor it?As I said, of the thousands of ampules of fentanyl I've opened, I'm sure I spilled some on my hands. It's a wonder I'm alive. See my trophy, above.
@George-K said in Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction:
It's unfortunate that this kind of misinformation makes its way through the law enforcement community.
I think I mentioned before that when our next door neighbour at our last house died they showed up with hazmat suits. It didn't seem to register that his poor grandparents who found him weren't experiencing any symptoms.
-
@Mik said in Fentanyl: Separating Facts From Fiction:
Aerosolized?
In an enclosed environment, perhaps. There are rumors that that's what the Russians did in that theater. Carfentanil is a more likely substance. Remifentanil is another possibility, but its duration of action is very short - minutes.
Carfentanil is a nasty drug. Exceptionally potent.
Its primary use is veterinary, and the vets are taught to always, ALWAYS, have naloxone drawn up and ready to go.
