Health warning issued on dangerous drug

VW independent/submitted information

The Van Wert Police Department has passed along a public health warning from Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson noting that the drug carfentanil is now among drugs being abused in the state.

Carfentanil, a large animal sedative, is 100 times more deadly than fentanyl and 2,500 times more dangerous than heroin, and is deemed unsafe for human use. Detection of carfentanil comes at a time when deaths due to heroin and fentanyl are continuing to accelerate out of control.

“Fentanyl and heroin have already killed 300 people this year, and we are headed for double the number of fatalities as 2015,” said Dr. Gilson. “The detection of carfentanil here is a very disturbing development in the ongoing illegal opiate crisis. This drug is intended for use as an anesthetic in large animals, and veterinarians take special precautions just handling it. Small amounts are rapidly fatal.”

Even more troubling, the reversal drug naloxone may also prove ineffective or require multiple doses to counteract the effects of carfentanil, Dr. Gilson noted.

Lt. Douglas Weigle of the Van Wert Police Department noted that, while carfentanil has not been confirmed in Van Wert County, he feels public safety personnel and the public need to be aware of the dangers of the drug — which can be transmitted through the skin or inhaled — because of the risk that accident exposure could be deadly.

As with any other unknown powders, area residents should not come into direct contact or close proximity with suspected carfentanil (shown above right in powder form), and should alert authorities immediately.