Medical examiners in Florida have noted an increase in overdose deaths involving carfentanil this year.
Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. It was first created in 1974 as an veterinary anesthetic for large animals, such as elephants.
A cluster of deaths in Palm Beach County and throughout the state have sounded the alarm, although experts say carfentanil’s rise in prevalence isn’t close to where it was in 2016 and 2017, when the drug was responsible for one-in-15 opioid deaths.
“I have no idea why, all of a sudden, after these many years, that carfentanil has reemerged,” said Bob Goldberger, a professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine and state toxicologist.
Goldberger called the increase “worrisome.”
It’s too early for the data to show what drugs the carfentanil is polluting, but Goldberg said it is most often found among stimulants, like methamphetamines and cocaine.
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A carfentanil overdose can be treated with naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug. In Florida, naloxone is available without a prescription and in county departments of health.
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.
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