01/16/2025
We are alerting the community that recent toxicology testing detected carfentanil in the local unregulated drug supply.
As a fentanyl analogue – which means it is a substance that has a similar chemical structure to fentanyl – carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times more potent than fentanyl. That stronger potency means that a small dose of carfentanil can cause immediate and severe adverse reactions including overdose or death.
Safety actions:
- Never use alone. Have Narcan and a friend with you who is not using drugs, or contact a service like Never Use Alone (neverusealone.com)
- Have Narcan and know how to use it. Narcan (naloxone) will work to reverse the effects of carfentanil exposure. However, because of its extreme toxicity, more Narcan doses may be required to get a person breathing again. Administer Narcan to restore breathing, but understand that the person may not be responsive or aware enough to speak. If they are breathing, they are alive, and that is the goal.
- Test unregulated drugs. Fentanyl test strips are available for people who use drugs to test for fentanyl. No test is 100% accurate. Fentanyl test strips do not indicate which type of fentanyl or fentanyl-analog, like carfentanil, is present, nor do they indicate the concentration or potency. Carfentanil can be present in such a small amount that it may not be reliably detected through fentanyl test strips alone. Since carfentanil is typically found in combination with fentanyl, people who use drugs should continue to test their drugs and take further steps to reduce their overdose risk. People who use any drugs, especially people who use co***ne, should expect that their drugs contain opioids that could cause an overdose – now possibly including carfentanil – stop their breathing, and lead to death.
- Wash your hands. If you come into contact with any unregulated drugs, wash your hands immediately and thoroughly with soap and water. Powder or drug residue left on one’s hands could be inhaled or ingested inadvertently.
This information is also important for the general public. People across all age groups and demographics use or may use unregulated drugs. Recognizing overdose signs, having Narcan and knowing how and when to use Narcan to reverse an overdose could save the life of a family member, friend, coworker or neighbor. Erie County offers regular, free Narcan trainings (www.erie.gov/narcan).
The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office reported 376 confirmed or suspected drug overdose deaths in 2024 as of January 8, 2025. “Though this represents a preliminary 14% decline from the record-high 436 overdose deaths in 2023, each of these deaths is preventable, and each is one too many,” Dr. Burstein explained.
