Content
If you plan to use IV drugs, prepare the shot, set the needle aside, and add about one-fifth teaspoon of water to the spoon/cooker with the drug. Fentanyl test strips aren’t perfect, but most people find them easy to use. The best way to use them is to dissolve all the drugs you plan to use in water. Fentanyl might not be everywhere evenly in your product, so if you only test a portion of your supply you might end up missing it. Earlier this year, the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations did a study of how easy it was to order fentanyl through the mail — essentially googling “buy fentanyl online” and then tracking the most responsive vendors. Researchers logged 500 online transactions with a street value of approximately $766 million.
Harm Reduction Saves Lives
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is a Schedule II controlled substance, which means it has a high potential for abuse and is available only through a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider.
The Dangers of Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a highly addictive substance that can cause serious harm and even death when misused. It can slow down the user’s breathing and heart rate, leading to respiratory failure, coma, or overdose. In fact, fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, with more than 36,000 fatalities reported in 2019 alone.
Substance Use Prevention & Harm Reduction
Can You Buy Fentanyl Online?
Can you buy fentanyl online? The short answer is no. It is illegal to buy, sell, or possess fentanyl without a valid prescription. Additionally, it is dangerous to buy fentanyl online because there is no way to know the purity, potency, or safety of the drug. Online marketplaces and websites that sell fentanyl are often operated by criminal organizations and may be selling counterfeit or contaminated drugs.
Moreover, buying fentanyl online puts you at risk of being caught by law enforcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other federal and state agencies have been cracking down on online drug sales, and they have the tools and resources to track down and prosecute those who are buying or selling illegal drugs online.
Trending Nationally
The Risks of Buying Fentanyl Online
There are many risks associated with buying fentanyl online, including:
- The drug may be contaminated or adulterated with other substances, such as heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine.
- The drug may be much stronger or weaker than advertised, which can lead to overdose or other adverse effects.
- The drug may be sold by a criminal organization that is involved in other illegal activities, such as human trafficking, money laundering, or weapons trafficking.
- The drug may be intercepted by law enforcement, leading to criminal charges and a possible prison sentence.
Our peer parent coaches have weighed in on the topic of encouraging their loved ones to use test strips. They know how deadly fentanyl can be, in some cases having lost their children to overdoses. By far and away, they view this as a much-needed safety measure to reduce the risks of overdose and death. Fentanyl test strips are paper strips used to detect the presence of fentanyl in injectable substances, powders, and pills. The tests also check for many variations of fentanyl known as analogs. No longer is the epidemic of overdoses limited to regular drug users.
In 2019, the department sanctioned three Chinese nationals accused of trafficking the synthetic opioids. In an interview with NPR, however, Chen categorically denied that he manufactures or sells any illegal substances. Fentanyl overdoses and deaths have increased over the past few years. Most people don’t know it is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl mixed with drugs or alcohol increases the likelihood of a fatal overdose. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioids and can reverse an opioid overdose.
And if a user is new to taking opioids, the risk of overdose is even higher because their bodies have no tolerance to the drug. If you are around people or situations where an opioid overdose may occur, such as someone in your family uses opioids, you can become trained on how to administer it and have some on hand in case there is an overdose. Free naloxone nasal spray is being provided to individuals in the community and first responders to help combat the opioid crisis and reverse overdose deaths. Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm.
- The drug vendors NPR visited worked out of offices tucked away in shopping malls, residential towers and industrial complexes.
- The Virginia Board of Medicine requires that physicians prescribe Narcan if opioid prescriptions exceed 120 MME per day.
- This involved creating a dashboard receiving data securely from various agencies, including naloxone administration by all pre-hospital care providers as well as the VCBH rescue kits issued to county residents.
- This timing coincided with the first detection of illicit pills containing fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and other novel synthetic opioids such as U-47700.
- One man from West Philly even shared that he overdosed from taking a pill he thought was Percocet but happened to contain fentanyl.
Even through the narrow lens of cutting the drug supply, the sellers have already proven adept at adapting to new circumstances. To learn more about your new benefits, your welcome packet, and what to do if you have an urgent health care issue please visit the New to Oregon Health Plan web page. If you decide to use the drugs after testing them, you can drink them or inject them. You can speed up the process by putting the dissolved drugs in a pan in the oven on the lowest setting (maximum of 225 F) while keeping the oven door cracked. When the water evaporates and the pan is cool, you can scrape the residue off with a razor or other sharp item. If you’re using pills, you’ll need to crush a pill on a clean surface before dissolving it in 1 tablespoon of water.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that buying fentanyl online is illegal, dangerous, and potentially deadly. If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid addiction, there are safe and effective treatment options available. Talk to your healthcare provider or a trusted mental health professional for more information.
Remember, fentanyl is a powerful and dangerous drug that should only be used under the supervision of a licensed healthcare provider. Don’t risk your life or the lives of others by buying fentanyl online.
