What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery.

Fentanyl is

Up to 50x stronger than heroin
up to 100x stronger than morphine

Illicit Fentanyl

Illicit fentanyl, which is primarily manufactured in foreign labs, has become very popular among drug dealers, as it is more potent and cheaper to manufacture. Since fentanyl is synthetic and not plant based, labs can create unlimited supply, which lowers the cost.

Fentanyl is being mixed, or “cut”, with other drugs, such as heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine, and fake pressed pills.

Dosing fentanyl is incredibly difficult. There is no quality control in illicit labs or dealers cutting their product, so users do not know how much fentanyl they are receiving.

2 milligrams of fentanyl, roughly the weight of a couple grains of sand, could mean death from an overdose.

This is enough Fentanyl to potentially kill you

Fentapills

Fake pressed pills laced with fentanyl, or known as fentapills, look identical to a real prescription pill, such as oxycontin, valium, or Xanax. Often times, users do not know they are receiving a fake pill laced with fentanyl.

People should expect that any pill sold on the street, through social media, and other outlets, except a legitimate pharmacy, contains fentanyl.

Can You Tell The Difference?

One pill is legitimate
One is a Fentapill

Statistics

Between May 2020 and April 2021, over 100,000 people died in the US from a drug overdose (record)
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the 100,000 drug overdose deaths were tied to illicitly manufactured fentanyl or its chemical cousins.
Over 40% of pills tested contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, 2mg.
1 in 5 fentanyl-related deaths in the West involve males under 25 years of age.

Facts About Fentanyl