The New York State Department of Health has issued a public health alert for a deadly drug found in street drugs. The New York State Department of Health has a community drug checking program to help find any potentially harmful substances in the drug supply. This is to ensure the safety of those using unregulated drugs purchased off the streets. In early June 2024, the New York State Department of Health released a public health alert after a drug sample was found to have a dangerous substance upon testing.
What are opioids?
Opioids are a type of drug class for pain relief. They help reduce the intensity of pain and work very well for their intended purpose. There are legitimate reasons for taking pain medications. However, opioid pain medications have the potential for overuse, abuse, and/or addiction. This is due to the euphoric effects some people feel after taking opioid drugs. Due to the addiction potential of opioids, they are considered controlled substances when used medically. Also see our blog – The Opioid Epidemic
The opioid drug class includes legal prescription medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine (MS Contin), and fentanyl. Opioid drugs also include the illegal drug heroin and others.
Read our blog Naloxone: The Opioid Overdose Reversal Agent
What is Carfentanil?
Carfentanil is a type of opioid made synthetically. This means that it was made specifically to mimic the effects of existing drugs. It is chemically similar to fentanyl. Though, carfentanil is extremely potent. For example, it is 10,000 times stronger than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl. Carfentanil was originally used as a tranquilizer for very large animals under the brand name Wildnil. Carfentanil is not for use in humans due to its extreme potency. Even very small amounts could quickly lead to overdose and/or death in humans. Unfortunately, carfentanil has been found in illicit (street) drugs in the past, which puts users at very high risk for unintentional overdose.
Super Mario
The sample within which the New York State Department of Health found a dangerous substance during testing was from bags labeled “Super Mario”. The “Super Mario” drugs contained a combination of fentanyl, xylazine (another animal sedative), and trace amounts of heroin and carfentanil. Due to the risk of unintentional overdose, the Department of Health issued a public health alert to warn users of the risk of unintentional overdose due to the high potency drugs found within “Super Mario”. The warning was for the Central New York area. This announcement is a good reminder that you truly may not know what drugs you are getting when you buy illicit drugs. There have been other illicit drugs found to have carfentanil in the past and there is likely to be more in the future.
The program to check drugs by the New York Department of Health is a good harm reduction strategy to help users stay safe. However, it is not going to catch all cases of high-risk drugs and users should use extreme caution when using illicit drugs. Check with your states department of health to see what initiatives they have in place to help with harm reduction and how you can stay safe.
Disclaimer: This blog is written for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen online.
Resources:
1. https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2024/202406-07_carfentanil.htm
2. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/opioids
3. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-07/hq092216_attach.pdf
4. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Carfentanil
