NORFOLK, Va. — While fentanyl is a deadly drug booming in the nation's illegal drug market, the CDC is sounding the alarm on something more powerful than that.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is saying carfentanil is 100 times stronger than fentanyl, which the DEA considers the deadliest drug threat impacting our country.
Carfentanil is used to tranquilize large animals like giraffes, elephants, and horses. Though it's nothing new, the CDC put out an alert this month saying it has reemerged in the American drug supply.
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Two milligrams of carfentanil— the size of a few grains of salt can kill 50 people, according to the DEA.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Shane Todd, says it's being mixed with other drugs to create a cheaper product.
"Carfentanil has been found in powder form and in fake pill form. For instance, much like fake Fentanyl pills where we found traces of fentanyl. The same is true in carfentanil but in a lesser degree," said Todd.
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Data from the CDC shows carfentanil deaths have increased over the past three years. DEA leaders say as of now there have not been any deaths in Virginia but there has been a handful of cases in Maryland.
DEA experts say they worry carfentanil could spark the next drug crisis.
"This is not a threat that is necessarily going away. It's important that we educate the public, educate our children, and educate others who are being directly targeted by these cartels as customers. You should never take a pill that's unprescribed to you by a doctor attained at a pharmacy," said Todd.
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Carfentanil is showing up in pills, powders, and other forms that can be injected, smoked, snorted, or swallowed.
Health officials urge the public to:
- Carry naloxone, available at many pharmacies without a prescription
- Report suspected overdoses immediately
- Be aware that counterfeit pills and illicit drugs can contain carfentanil
