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OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL NARCOTICS PROSECUTOR
FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK

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OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL NARCOTICS PROSECUTOR
FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK




THE DRUG


WHAT IS FENTANYL?

MOST PEOPLE HAVE NEVER HEARD OF FENTANYL. BUT IT IS EVERYWHERE.

Pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl is an opioid (a drug that acts on the nervous
system to control pain, like codeine or methadone) first created in the 1960s.
By the 1990s, fentanyl was used in the medical field as an anesthetic, as a
painkiller, and in palliative care. By 2012, fentanyl was the most widely used
synthetic opioid in medicine.

Since 2000, illicitly-produced fentanyl has grown in popularity as a substance
used by drug dealers to cut other narcotics, increasing the potency and profits.
Frequently, the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl are manufactured in
China and then shipped to large-scale production facilities in Mexico, where the
drug is made for relatively low cost as compared to heroin. Fentanyl is then
distributed throughout the United States, leading to thousands of overdose
deaths.


50X


STRONGER THAN HEROIN


100X


STRONGER THAN MORPHINE


THE DRUG


HOW IS IT USED?

FENTANYL CAN BE A USEFUL MEDICAL TOOL – OR A DEADLY PATHWAY TO OVERDOSE.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl must be prescribed by or taken under the supervision of
a licensed physician. For patients experiencing extreme pain or undergoing
end-of-life care, pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl is typically administered in
lollipop form or via a transdermal patch. As an anesthetic, it is typically
administered intravenously.

In contrast, illicit fentanyl is commonly mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine,
and xylazine, or is pressed into counterfeit pills and sold as oxycodone and
Xanax. Drug users frequently have no idea that fentanyl is present in the drugs
they consume – sometimes, dealers themselves don’t even know.


WHAT ARE THE DANGERS?

MOST PEOPLE WHO OVERDOSE ON FENTANYL HAVE NO IDEA THEY ARE TAKING IT.

The dangers of illicit fentanyl were brought to the forefront of public
attention with the April 2016 death of pop star Prince, who fatally overdosed on
fentanyl marked as hydrocodone. Fentanyl’s extreme potency means that a trace
amount weighing as little as 2 milligrams can be lethal.

Illicit fentanyl is now present in many types of street drugs, and often neither
users nor dealers know what they’re handling. There is no way to tell if the
next high could be the last.

Deaths from synthetic opioids have risen dramatically each year, with a massive
279% spike in fentanyl-involved fatalities between 2016 and 2021. CDC officials
believe that over 150 people die every day in the U.S. from overdoes related to
synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.


THE DRUG


WHAT HAPPENS DURING A FENTANYL OVERDOSE?

Every 3 hours someone in New York dies due to drug overdose, entanyl is present
in the vast majority of these cases. Overdose from fentanyl results in a wide
range of symptoms, culminating in loss of consciousness, respiratory arrest, and
even death.

Naloxone is the most common medication given to overdose victims. An opioid
antagonist, it binds to the same receptors that opioids act on. Administered
properly and in a timely manner, naloxone can reverse the symptoms of opioid
overdose and prevent death.  However, with respect to fentanyl mixtures
containing xylazine, a non-opioid veterinary sedative, naloxone may not work.


> THIS DECEPTION IS PROVING
> 
> 
> FATAL
> 
> 
> IT WOULD BE LIKE ORDERING A GLASS OF WINE AND INSTEAD GETTING A LETHAL DOSE OF
> PURE ETHANOL.
> 
> – Dr. Sarah Wakeman, the Harvard health blog




THE DAMAGETO THE CITY


2668


PEOPLE DIED IN 2021 FROM DRUG OVERDOSES IN NEW YORK CITY.


78%


INCREASE FROM 2019.

That’s nearly eight people a day dying in the five boroughs. More people are
killed in NYC each year by overdoses than murders, suicides and car crashes
combined. Fifty-seven percent of those overdose deaths directly involve
fentanyl.


> THE FINAL OVERDOSE DATA FOR 2021 CONFIRM WHAT WE HAVE FEARED —
> 
> 
> DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS HAVE REACHED A RECORD HIGH
> 
> 
> AND ARE INCREASING CITYWIDE AS THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC CONTINUES TO AFFECT EVERY
> COMMUNITY.
> 
> – Dr. Mary T. Bassett, DOH commissioner


THE DAMAGETO THE BODY


EXPAND WHAT A FENTANYL OVERDOSE LOOKS LIKE:
PHASE 1 OF 12

Previous


PINPRICK-SIZED PUPILS


MUSCLE WEAKNESS


DIZZINESS


CONFUSION


LOW BLOOD PRESSURE


BLUE TINTED LIPS AND NAILS


LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS


WOODEN CHEST SYNDROME


EXHAUSTION


SLOW HEARTBEAT


BRAIN DAMAGE


DEATH

Next


EVEN IF A FENTANYL OVERDOSE DOESN’T KILL THE VICTIM, THEY MAY BE LEFT WITH
HEALTH ISSUES FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.

Fentanyl is so dangerous because so little is required to overdose. Once an
overdose happens, the nature of the drug suppresses both breathing and
heartbeat, meaning that very little oxygen travels to the brain.

Even if the victim of an accidental fentanyl overdose is saved, the lack of
oxygen in the bloodstream during overdose can lead to permanent brain damage.


WHAT A FENTANYL OVERDOSE LOOKS LIKE CLOSE


PINPRICK-SIZED PUPILS


MUSCLE WEAKNESS


DIZZINESS


CONFUSION


LOW BLOOD PRESSURE


BLUE TINTED LIPS AND NAILS


LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS


WOODEN CHEST SYNDROME


EXHAUSTION


SLOW HEARTBEAT


BRAIN DAMAGE


DEATH



/ Nov 2023
A Day Care Death and the Dilemma Over How to Crack Down on Drugs





/ May 2023
OPINION: The Drug That Saves Lives Even if It’s Never Used





/ Mar 2023
What Is Fentanyl and Why Is It So Dangerous?





/ Feb 2023
Inside the Medical Examiner’s Office, Where Opioids Fuel Surge in Deaths





/ Jan 2023
Fentanyl Helps Push Overdose Deaths to Record Level in New York City





/ Jan 2023
Tranq Dope: Animal Sedative Mixed With Fentanyl Brings Fresh Horror to U.S. Drug
Zones






SIGHTINGS

786586447387149


2021 OVERDOSE DEATHS

BY BOROUGH OF RESIDENCE.

786Bronx586Brooklyn447Manhattan387Queens149Staten Island


HELP


DOWNLOAD THE FENTANYL BROCHUREVERSION EN ESPAÑOL AND FACT SHEETVERSION EN
ESPAÑOL


THE BEST WAY TO HELP IS BY SPREADING THE WORD.

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York
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