Officials have confirmed that heroin laced with a synthetic opiate called fentanyl was responsible for approximately 80 deaths in the United States during the last few weeks, according to American Live Wire.
Fentanyl is a type of narcotic used to manage chronic pain and is said to be 80 times stronger than morphine. As of late, there have been 25 deaths in Rhode Island, 37 deaths in Maryland and 22 deaths in Pennsylvania due to overdose. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reported that 1,013 overdose deaths took place during a fentanyl epidemic between April 2005 and March 2007. Local medical providers have already been notified by state health departments regarding the recent increase in the use of fentanyl-laced heroin.
Michelle Spahn, a representative for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, claimed that authorities are still unable to identify if the fentanyl is pharmaceutical grade or if it is being secretly manufactured in some parts of North America.
"A witch doctor could have put them together," she said. "There could be a rat poison in them for all we know and this is what people are putting into their bodies."
Rick Huber, executive director of the Mental Health Association, confirmed that dealers sell heroin with higher fentanyl contents to increase clients' tolerance and desire. They then lower the drug's concentration to increase its demand.
"Even a small amount of fentanyl can be fatal," said Ellen Unterwald, director for Substance Abuse Research at the Temple University School of Medicine. "This product is being sold as heroin and produces extremely potent opioid effects including coma and respiratory depression. It can overcome the tolerance of chronic opioid abuse."
