Deaths from Fentanyl Overdoses Double In A Single Year

Deaths involving the opioid painkiller fentanyl more than doubled in a single year in the United States, according to a new report.

In 2014, 4,200 people in the U.S. died from overdoses involving fentanyl, up from 1,905 people in 2013, the report found. The rate of fentanyl deaths increased from 6 deaths per 1 million people to 13 deaths per 1 million people during that one-year period.

Fentanyl moved up the rankings, from the 9th most common drug involved in overdose deaths in 2013, to the 5th most common drug involved in overdose deaths in 2014. The singer-songwriter Prince died of an overdose of fentanyl in April 2016, according to officials in Minnesota.
Deaths from Fentanyl Overdoses Double In A Single Year | The Huffington Post

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Mexico is flooding the US and Canada with cheap fentanyl, causing the death toll to rise. When a star like Prince dies from junk street fentanyl, it told me that the problem is reaching people from all walks of life now.

Thoughts?
Comments?

truthatallcost said:

Mexico is flooding the US and Canada with cheap fentanyl, causing the death toll to rise. When a star like Prince dies from junk street fentanyl, it told me that the problem is reaching people from all walks of life now.

Thoughts?
Comments?

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For all the dangers of heroin, anyone that would knowingly even consider Fentanyl has to be nuts! The stuff is measured in micrograms!

But I suspect what's happening is Fentanyl mixtures are being sold as street heroin, am I right?

Chomsky said:

For all the dangers of heroin, anyone that would knowingly even consider Fentanyl has to be nuts! The stuff is measured in micrograms!

But I suspect what's happening is Fentanyl mixtures are being sold as street heroin, am I right?

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In some cities. It's also being sold as pills; fake Oxycontin presses in Canada, and even scarier, fake vicodin and even xanax pills in the states. Also available in powder.

truthatallcost said:

In some cities. It's also being sold as pills; fake Oxycontin presses in Canada, and even scarier, fake vicodin and even xanax pills in the states. Also available in powder.

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Really scary stuff.

I've had friends that became junkies, living a very dangerous lifestyle, and even they're scared of the stuff!

I'd say that's 'nuff said! :shock:

Chomsky said:

Really scary stuff.

I've had friends that became junkies, living a very dangerous lifestyle, and even they're scared of the stuff!

I'd say that's 'nuff said! :shock:

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I've known many people who got involved with drugs, its unavoidable here really. I'm lucky I was into sports and a pretty good athlete, as my friends who didn't get involved with sports or music usually wound up in the drug scene.

It is scary indeed, especially for the people who think they're getting vicodin and xanax and end up with junk so strong it'd kill many heroin users.

Chomsky said:

For all the dangers of heroin, anyone that would knowingly even consider Fentanyl has to be nuts! The stuff is measured in micrograms!

But I suspect what's happening is Fentanyl mixtures are being sold as street heroin, am I right?

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Micrograms? On a drug you can OD with? Yeah, that is insane. The only other recreational drug I know of measured in micrograms is LSD but it is next to impossible to OD on that.

BrewerBob said:

Micrograms? On a drug you can OD with? Yeah, that is insane. The only other recreational drug I know of measured in micrograms is LSD but it is next to impossible to OD on that.

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Yep, micrograms.

That's its real danger.

A little Googling would probably find the answer, but it's equivalent dosage to morphine is something like thousands to one. Totally ridiculous.

^^

Here, I found this:

"Morphine to Fentanyl Patch Conversion

Each 2 mg PO morphine approximately equivalent to 1 mcg/hr fentanyl patch (e.g., morphine 100 mg/day → 50 mcg/hr patch applied q3days). "

Here: Oral Opioid Dosing Equivalents and Conversions

My Wife's aunt was taking this stuff for cancer pain because nothing else would work. She stood up one day and her heart stopped.

truthatallcost said:

Mexico is flooding the US and Canada with cheap fentanyl, causing the death toll to rise. When a star like Prince dies from junk street fentanyl, it told me that the problem is reaching people from all walks of life now.

Thoughts?
Comments?

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Many years ago, I shattered my both my heals because I was an idiot working on the roof with no safety harness/rope, etc.. The pain in the months that followed was so overwhelming, doctors prescribed fentanyl patches. I used them for a week or two. It was so powerful, I had my wife cut down the patches to this tiny little bits. And yet the effect still kicked my butt. I finally had her throw the stuff out. Fentanyl is evil stuff. It made me almost psychotic.

One would think drug dealers would not want to kill off the people they supply, but then again, stupid does seem to be a requisite for the job.

truthatallcost said:

Mexico is flooding the US and Canada with cheap fentanyl, causing the death toll to rise. When a star like Prince dies from junk street fentanyl, it told me that the problem is reaching people from all walks of life now.

Thoughts?
Comments?

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Gotta love our drug prohibition and the black markets it has produced. Another demonstration of how so much federal policy is driven by knowledge and science, eh?

truthatallcost said:

Mexico is flooding the US and Canada with cheap fentanyl, causing the death toll to rise. When a star like Prince dies from junk street fentanyl, it told me that the problem is reaching people from all walks of life now.

Thoughts?
Comments?

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If you want to do drugs, just smoke weed. Eat some Hostess, play some XBox.

truthatallcost said:

Mexico is flooding the US and Canada with cheap fentanyl, causing the death toll to rise. When a star like Prince dies from junk street fentanyl, it told me that the problem is reaching people from all walks of life now.

Thoughts?
Comments?

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it reflects our poor coping strategies for one
and
that we are attempting to control street drugs in the wrong way

The problem with Fentanyl... is "quality control". It is too strong for amateurs to cut properly. Importers like it because of it's lack of bulk makes it easy to smuggle.

The Fentanyl comes from China and most drug labs are not going to do an actual assay to determine the strength of the sample. If they original chemist says one 200 mg per kilo, that's where he will start. Most of this is done in Mexico, then shipped in as finished product.

Then when they get an idea of the proper dosage, they have to mix it in the cutting agent. Proper mixing is a scientific measure in and of it'self and most bulk dealers try to do it right, there can't help but be "hot spots" in each batch. With Fentanyl, it kills you. He will probably test it on a junkie, then he's good to go. So much for "quality control".

Another separate problem is counterfeit pills making it nearly impossible to identify "time release" vs regular dose. Many junkies use time release when they aren't partying. If you buy counterfeit Oxy with Fentanyl thinking its time release there is a good chance you will OD. If you get an under mixed part of the batch you are dead.

Thoreau72 said:

Gotta love our drug prohibition and the black markets it has produced. Another demonstration of how so much federal policy is driven by knowledge and science, eh?

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The FDA is a recruitment center for Big Pharma:

...about 27 percent of the total number of reviewers left their federal oversight posts to work for the industry they previously regulated.
When Drug Reviewers Leave The FDA, They Often Work For Pharma | Kaiser Health News

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Big Pharma ****s itself at the thought of legalization.