Fentanyl and Heroin (JMcQ) [InterStitial #4] –

I don’t do much in the way of drugs or intoxicants besides drinking, but I care for those people who end up doing them, whether it be for recreational purposes or if they are addicted. Thus, I try to keep an ear to the ground about what is happening in the drug scene, especially what is happening in the heroin scene. This is due to the fact that one of my closest friends is and was a heroin addict; here’s to hoping that I accurately discuss the problems inherent in the current batches of heroin that are floating around the United States.

Fentanyl – Fentanyl is a legal drug, and is on schedule II, as described by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). Schedule II drugs include morphine, PCP, cocaine, methadone, and meth. They have a high tendency to be abused, and lead to easy dependence among those who use it.

Fentanyl works well for those individuals who are supposed to take it. It is a pain-killer. Fentanyl represents a number of drugs, all of which have varying degrees of potency. The original version of fentanyl was formulated to be eighty times stronger than morphine. Newer versions, such as sufentanil, are multiple times (5-10) stronger than the original formulation of fentanyl.

Fentanyl is supposed to work in tandem with other pain-killer medications for flare-ups associated with cancer. Cancer has the nasty effect of “breaking through” the first wave of medication, and Fentanyl is strong enough to combat these pains. It is known in the United States as Actiq, and the dose is supposed to be taken in almost a gum-like fashion. Doses of the drug are intended to be released slowly in the blood stream of the individual taking it. It is a synthetic opiate and operates similarly to heroin.

The reason why I am trying to explain what Fentanyl is is that a whole hell of a lot of batches of heroin have been tainted with this drug. Now, I just don’t get why drug dealers adulterate their drugs with other drugs. For example, one hears of pot that is laced with PCP and coke on a fairly regular basis; wouldn’t the inclusion of other drugs increase the value of the pot? Perhaps someone can explain that one to me, but the base-line fact is that batches of heroin that have made their way to Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Camden (N.J.), Little Rock (AR) and central Ohio have been tainted with this drug. The jury is out on the 20 heroin deaths found in Pittsburgh P.A. that occurred from 06/02 to 06/04. Over 160 confirmed deaths have occurred in Detroit and Chicago alone. There has been some success in fentanyl-laced heroin being taken off the market. While there has been success, no one in the drug busting business has been able to give even a ballpark estimate about how much of the drug is still present alongside heroin.

The drug is gaining popularity; a report by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that 5 fentanyl labs have been busted up in three years, up from 5 busted up in the thirteen years that preceded it. If anything, the combination of heroin and fentanyl is something that is going to continue, instead of it being the “don’t eat the brown acid” type of momentary pollution of drugs that happened with acid in the sixties. I try to have a local connection with central Ohio, even if I maintain my operations in Kent most of the time. The Dispatch (Columbus’ rag of a paper) says that the “Columbus police have discovered three to four cases of fentanyl mixed with heroin in the past month”.

They also say that “Fentanyl at about 3 percent strength is all it takes to make a combination with heroin deadly”. Even taking into consideration that it is highly likely that the cops and drug police that are on the beat will exaggerate everything that they can, this is still a small amount of Fentanyl to put someone over into overdose levels. Knowing the tolerance of some friends I’ve met in my travels around the United States, a good dose of heroin is a “50”, or 50 milligrams. This means that a lethal dose of Fentanyl is nothing more than 1.5 milligrams (if we take the police’s word for it), or .022 of an ounce. That’s not much at all to kill you…

Individuals that actually know me know that I’ve never been against recreational drug use. Many times, recreational drugs can combat a number of the problems of everyday life, or in the case of chronic pains, can be used to alleviate them. I might be creeped out to hell and back with needles, but that is my own personal belief. As said earlier, I have a number of friends that recreationally use drugs. That’s their own life, and I would rather spend $4.44 for a 12 pack and get absolutely plastered off my ass one night than spend $25 for an eighth of pot or $20 for 2 hits of acid, which would be an equivalent experience.

Fentanyl is a drug that can be used recreationally. Heroin is another drug that can be used recreationally. It is sad to see that some individuals find themselves addicted to those drugs, but at some point, experiences using both of those drugs can be safe. A number of websites have information about how to safely use drugs, both licit and illicit – all I would say is to check up on those sites to see the proper amounts and methods for getting a safe and enjoyable high. One of the websites that has tons of good information about safe use of licit drugs is erowid.org , and I’m sure there are a number of other ones that are out on the world wide web.

Beyond knowing your own limits when you do drugs, know who you can procure drugs from safely. For example, if I want peanut shells, nutmeg, and the scrapings from the inside of a banana peel, I should talk to the person that will provide me those materials without trying to add in cayenne pepper or laxatives into the concoction. If the person that provides individuals with materials is someone you know and trust, by all means buy from eir. If the person comes in from outside of the city or the supplier is not for sure about the veracity of the materials, either pass for the night or try to get some more information. Enough people die of drug overdoses every day; just be smart and get fucked up whatever way you want to.

Smart links:
Erowid entry about Fentanyl : http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=51301
Wikipedia entry about Fentanyl : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fentanyl
U.S. DOJ entry about Fentanyl : http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/srs/20469/index.htm

Cities with confirmed batches of tainted, Fentanyl-laced heroin – Michigan; Detroit, New Jersey; Camden, Ohio; Dayton, Mansfield, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pittsburgh (possibly).

[JMcQ]