Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Fentanyl

Fentanyl powder seized by a Lake County Deputy Sheriff in Painesville Ohio, where a male subject had been discovered unresponsive and struggling to breathe.
Generally, if something is not effecting our lives, we hear it, but we do not process it. "In one ear and out the other" as they say.
If you watch the news, and especially if you live in the North Eastern part of the United States, you have most likely heard of Fentanyl.

"Fentanyl is a powerful opiod analgesic with a potency approximately 81 times that of morphine. Due to its potency, its ability to subdue pain in a short period of time has warranted it a Schedule ll drug in the United States.
Schedule II drugs are any drugs that have a high potential for abuse, are accepted for medical treatment in the U.S. or any drug that may lead to severe physchological or pysical dependence."


History
"Fentanyl was first synthesized by Janssen Pharmaceutica (Belgium) in 1959. Fentanyl was introduced into medical practice in the 1960s as an intravenous anesthetic under the trade name of Sublimaze."


This, and more information can be found at Wikipedia's website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fentanyl

"In its legal form, fentanyl has been around nearly 50 years.
It is still commonly prescribed as a skin patch, lozenge or intravenous drip for patients with cancer and other chronic pain."

"In the late 1970s and early '80s, outlaw chemists developed a new, more powerful twist on fentanyl in private labs. They called it China White, a name given high-grade heroin. This was no accident. It mimicked heroin's high and satisfied the same cravings. Its staggering potency made it attractive for street sales.
But powdered fentanyl is so powerful, so toxic, an extra grain or two can render a dose lethal. Some people who shoot up can't even slide the needle from their vein before they die.
Every couple of years, street fentanyl kills a dozen or so addicts somewhere in the United States.
The outbreak that quietly began to percolate in northern U.S. cities in summer 2005 and would reach a crescendo in May 2006 was beyond anything law enforcement and health officials had seen.

By April 2006, emergency workers in Philadelphia, Camden, N.J., and Delaware were swamped with overdoses. Heroin laced with fentanyl and sold as Al Capone, Flatline, Rest in Peace, Rolex and Exorcist was dropping addicts everywhere.
Across the river, New Jersey was also counting dead bodies. Emergency responders were handling 60 overdoses a day, compared with the usual 10 cases."

Read the full article:
http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/news/Fentanyl_laced_heroin_left_fatalities.html

Learning about a few junkies dropping dead is something we hear on the news or read in the newspaper. Most likely and understandable our response might be, "Well, they asked for it"

Honestly, I felt the same way. You sow what you reap.... you get what you deserve..... you play you pay.....

But now it was my son. My beautiful son. He was my life.....and I had almost lost him.

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