VAPING BAD
Heroin addicts turn to lethal opiate fentanyl
HEROIN addicts are turning to fentanyl with some using vapes to smoke the synthetic drug, it’s been warned.
The lethal opiate is 50 times more powerful than heroin and has killed tens of thousands in the US – and traffickers are now sourcing it from drug cartels in Mexico.
Advocacy groups believe fentanyl – sold on the street for just €2 per single dose – could be contributing to the recent spike in overdose deaths here.
Addiction therapist Michael Guerin warned of a surge in fentanyl use and of the dangers of smoking it in an e-cigarette.
The Cuan Mhuire counsellor told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “The amount it takes for someone to overdose is very, very small. They talk about it in micrograms which is one thousandth of a milligram so that will give you an idea how potent it is.
“It’s definitely here in Ireland. It’s extremely addictive like most opioids. The common heroin user would not have any understanding of just how potent and dangerous fentanyl is. It’s 50 times stronger than heroin.” Mr Guerin warned that smuggling fentanyl is “a lot easier” than cocaine and heroin, adding: “You could transport enough fentanyl for the whole of Ireland in your back pocket.” He added: “You can smoke cannabis through a vape so you could also take fentanyl that way too. It comes in a powder but you wouldn’t need to be very smart to know how to convert it into a liquid. “If people are offered a street-bought vape they don’t know what’s in it. Fentanyl is so potent that every time you use it you are running the risk of overdosing.” Chief Superintendant Seamus Boland of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said there are concerns about a surge in fentanyl smuggling. He told the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs: “Cartels can add fentanyl to other drugs to increase addiction, thereby increasing customer base leading to greater profits and drug deaths.”