Carfentanil has been linked to a dozen of overdoses and health emergencies in Western Canada, and now it has made its debut to Toronto, police confirmed. For the first time, Toronto police found carfentanil laced in street drugs just a day after officials confirmed the deadly synthetic opioid had been found in Ontario.
Carfentanil Is A Synthetic Drug Used To Sedate Elephants
Carfentanil has been linked to 15 deaths in Alberta this year. According to Metronews, a 20-microgram dose of the drug is enough to kill an average person. Carfentanil is used to sedate large animals, like elephants, and is very deadly to humans.
Toronto Public Health's Dr. Rita Shahin said about the drug: "In very tiny doses, it can be deadly. Use of just a small amount of a drug containing carfentanil can cause an overdose, and likely a fatal overdose."
Carfentanil overdose is a problem in the United States, as well. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reported one three-week span in Ohio recorded 236 overdoses and 14 deaths linked to the drug, according to Global News.
Carfentanil Is 10,000 Times More Toxic Than Morphine
The tasteless drug cannot be detected by sight or smell. Carfentanil is a very powerful opioid 10,000 times more toxic than morphine and 100 times more toxic than fentanyl.
Steve Watts, inspector from the Toronto Police Drug Squad said: "We're concerned from a public health perspective. Even very seasoned opioid users would obviously be at risk."
"It's a whole other level above fentanyl. We're going to have to monitor it in a wide-based approach including health professionals," Watts added.
An investigation found that carfentanil can easily be bought online from China-based companies, where the drug is not controlled. Canada has the second highest per capita prescription drug rate in the world. Health officials are calling for the declaration of publich health emergency due to this crisis.
