Fentanyl in NYC?
In the United States, roughly 64,000 people died of a drug overdose in 2016 alone. While the vast majority of drug overdose deaths are historically the result of mixing multiple substances (e.g., heroin and alcohol), one of the most prevalent concerns regarding illicit drug use is the addition of potentially dangerous adulterants, such as fentanyl. As a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, fentanyl’s presence in a substance drastically increases the chance of respiratory depression.
While fentanyl is nothing new, the advent of online forums and markets have made the illicit manufacture and selling of fentanyl (and fentanyl analogues) cheaper and more accessible than heroin and other popular opioids. Fentanyl is most often used to cut heroin; however, it has been detected in other powders, including cocaine and MDMA. Further, due to the easy availability of pill pressing equipment, there have been multiple batches of illicitly pressed pills found to contain fentanyl, including opioids and benzodiazepines.
According to a recent report by the New York City Department of Health, even the dealers themselves are often unaware they are selling a fentanyl-laced product. As such, it is incredibly unlikely that most individuals using illicit drugs would know they had bought a fentanyl-laced product until it is too late.
Fentanyl’s increasing presence in our communities is clearly contributing to the number of OD deaths nationwide. In New York City, fentanyl is now detected in over half of drug-related deaths. In response to these concerns, the New York City Department of Health coordinated with 11 local Syringe Exchange Programs (SEP)s to conduct “The Syringe Testing Study.” In this study, SEP participants were given self-report surveys and their used syringes were analyzed using GC/MS technology in order to determine the presence of fentanyl and other substances.
The results were startling: although only 4% of survey participants (2 in 46) believed they had used fentanyl, 17% of the total used syringes (46 in 271) tested positive for the drug. This means that roughly 1 out of 6 syringes recovered at these NYC sites were positive for fentanyl.
Considering the undeniable prevalence of fentanyl in NYC and communities elsewhere, overdose prevention education and resources such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips are urgently needed. If you are part of a community that is being impacted by the appearance of fentanyl, please visit our resources regarding OD prevention and talk to your local harm reduction agencies and/or health services regarding the possibility of implementing a drug checking program in your local area.