A New Street Drug Can Kill You By Touching Your Skin: What You Need To Know
by Tyler Durden
May 5, 2017 9:25 PM
Authored by Alice Salles via TheAntiMedia.org,
The opioid epidemic is a real tragedy. It has been devastating states like West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine - among others - and it’s been the number one factor in a major incarceration shift that is still seldom discussed by the media.
But as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new set of national standards for prescribing painkillers, yet another deadly drug threat is beginning to concern authorities in certain states.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu spoke at a press conference this week, warning that a drug that’s 10,000 times stronger than morphine has made its way into the state. As a result, many first responders have been left scrambling to find a way to handle this new threat.
Carfentanil, a powerful new opioid, has already claimed three lives.
Engineered to be used as an elephant tranquilizer, the drug’s lethal dosage is 20 micrograms. Since the product can cause deadly effects just by being sprinkled on someone’s skin, authorities are highly concerned.
On one occasion, Hickey said, one of his men had to use six to eight doses of Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, to revive a victim - twice the dose used in most cases.
As doctors and first responders notice a pattern, they are also warning the public that Narcan isn’t going to be enough from now on. So what is next?
As more restrictions are applied, users will have a harder time gaining access to the substances they are already addicted to, forcing them to turn to the black market for their fix.
With this, incidents like the ones we’re seeing in New Hampshire will become even more common, prompting further government involvement. As this snowballs into further restrictions, the opioid epidemic will reach unimaginable levels, killing a record number of people, making orphans out of countless children, and creating another boom in U.S. incarceration rates.
While it’s easy to understand why locals in New Hampshire are afraid, the rhetoric and reality on the ground should not be used to push for more heavy-handed intervention from local and federal governments. Instead, it’s time to look deep into how the opioid crisis started, keeping in mind that the government’s own fruitless battle against drugs was the very root of what is now concerning New Hampshire authorities.
Like New Hampshire’s Drug Lab Director Tim Pifer, we agree that “this is certainly unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg.” But just like any iceberg, its base lies in dark, cold waters. Unless we’re ready to be honest with ourselves, finding the courage to dive deep to find where it begins, we will never know how huge this problem really is. And if we’re not willing to look at the root of the problem, we won’t be able to find a proper solution.
The opioid epidemic is a real tragedy. It has been devastating states like West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine - among others - and it’s been the number one factor in a major incarceration shift that is still seldom discussed by the media.
But as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new set of national standards for prescribing painkillers, yet another deadly drug threat is beginning to concern authorities in certain states.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu spoke at a press conference this week, warning that a drug that’s 10,000 times stronger than morphine has made its way into the state. As a result, many first responders have been left scrambling to find a way to handle this new threat.
Carfentanil, a powerful new opioid, has already claimed three lives.
Engineered to be used as an elephant tranquilizer, the drug’s lethal dosage is 20 micrograms. Since the product can cause deadly effects just by being sprinkled on someone’s skin, authorities are highly concerned.
The drug is so powerful that first responders are even having a hard time reversing overdoses when they arrive at emergency locations.Manchester Fire’s EMS Director Chris Hickey is warning New Hampshire residents they must be “hyper, hyper vigilant of what is out there, hyper vigilant of where you put your hands, what you come in contact with.”“There is nothing out there other than going on in hazmat suits on every single overdose that is going to completely protect us. We just have to be super, super careful with it,” Hickey told his own crew.
On one occasion, Hickey said, one of his men had to use six to eight doses of Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, to revive a victim - twice the dose used in most cases.
As doctors and first responders notice a pattern, they are also warning the public that Narcan isn’t going to be enough from now on. So what is next?
Fear, of course.
As state and local authorities find themselves panicking over this issue, many will ask for tougher laws. Federal agencies will then intervene, adding further restrictions to the already heavily regulated drug market in the United States. Adding fuel to the fire, the drug war will continue to target opioids like heroin and opium while Congress continues the process of imposing strict limits on some opioid prescriptions.As more restrictions are applied, users will have a harder time gaining access to the substances they are already addicted to, forcing them to turn to the black market for their fix.
With this, incidents like the ones we’re seeing in New Hampshire will become even more common, prompting further government involvement. As this snowballs into further restrictions, the opioid epidemic will reach unimaginable levels, killing a record number of people, making orphans out of countless children, and creating another boom in U.S. incarceration rates.
While it’s easy to understand why locals in New Hampshire are afraid, the rhetoric and reality on the ground should not be used to push for more heavy-handed intervention from local and federal governments. Instead, it’s time to look deep into how the opioid crisis started, keeping in mind that the government’s own fruitless battle against drugs was the very root of what is now concerning New Hampshire authorities.
Like New Hampshire’s Drug Lab Director Tim Pifer, we agree that “this is certainly unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg.” But just like any iceberg, its base lies in dark, cold waters. Unless we’re ready to be honest with ourselves, finding the courage to dive deep to find where it begins, we will never know how huge this problem really is. And if we’re not willing to look at the root of the problem, we won’t be able to find a proper solution.
This is going to be so miserable for people with Chronic pain. It's already the case that the Dr's treat most pain patients as criminals, drug seekers, addicts. It's a humiliating experience being a pain patient. You are required to bring in pills for a pill count on 24 hrs notice or your prescriptions can be canceled. Your required to come in on 24 hrs notice to give urine samples (which the patient pays for and its only to cover the Dr for malpractice) or loose you prescriptions. Now they will violate you for marijuana, hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteThese are causing many chronic patients to use heroin. Dr's unprescribed in fear of addiction. They do not understand the difference between dependence and addiction. Any medication you take regularly from aspirin to diabetes medications, your body becomes Dependant on them. That is not addicted.
I've experienced this entire process first hand and its, well, horrible. Take the above conditions, now make the patient immobile or mobility restricted. You cannot or should not drive ( I was on morphine) and you get a call that you must be at DR office within 24 hrs. Many of these people are elderly, live alone, dont have cars. It's even more difficult if you live in a rural area.
Now the government is going to react like it always does. It will create laws to punish the end user. the pain patient just trying to not hurt for whatever reason. This method has not, will not work!
Dr's need to be held accountable for over and under-prescribing. mandating that people walk around or sit around ridden with pain should not be tolerated in fear of addiction.
Now you are sent to the "Pain Clinic" at the hospital. The co-pay is $30.00. This is more than you would spend at your doctor's office, and another trip to make, whether you want to or not. Did you do anything wrong ? No, you didn't. You are just unlucky enough to have chronic pain.
DeleteIt's even worse than that.
ReplyDeleteThe opioid epidemic has been created by the same people who are now trying to criminalize people with chronic pain.
I read one comment on Zero Hedge for this article :
"Justin Case strannick May 6, 2017 6:37 AM
I'd like to see the stats on how many elephants need to be tranquilized each year and the reasons.
Maybe this is an alternate to reduce the human population because vaccines are working fast enough. Get rid of the least productive population first?"
And guess who owns the patent on Carfentanil?
From another comment on Zero Hedge:
Amicus Curiae Troy Ounce May 6, 2017 7:30 AM
https://www.google.com/patents/US5106983
GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without payment to us of any royalties.
FIELD OF USE
This invention relates to an improved process or method of synthesis of carfentanil and other potent analgesics of the N-alkyl 4-substituted 4-piperidinylamide class which can be used as morphine substitutes.
BACKGROUND
The compounds of interest, and their related syntheses appeared in the literature starting in 1976. However, due to the low overall yield obtained in their preparation, a great deal of improvement was desired. A synthetic route leading to analgesics of the above-cited type is described in the literature, see Synthetic Analgesics, Arzeim-Forsch. 26, 1548 (1976) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,569, Dec. 18, 1979. This synthesis is shown below: ##STR1##
It should be noted that when R is a phenylethyl group, the product is called Carfentanil, one of the most biologically active in this series.
Publication number
US5106983 A Publication type Grant Application number US 07/517,012 Publication date Apr 21, 1992 Filing date Apr 30, 1990 Priority date Apr 30, 1990 Fee status Lapsed Inventors Louis P. Reiff, Paul B. Sollman Original Assignee The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army