Elephant sedative raises alarm in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coroners in two of Ohio’s largest counties have issued drug-abuse warnings after the reappearance of an opioid so powerful it’s sometimes used to sedate elephants.

Dr. Anahi Ortiz is the coroner in Franklin County in central Ohio. She said Friday that the county had at least three carfentanil-related overdose deaths in January.

Ortiz said the county, home of the capital, Columbus, had six carfentanil-related deaths in all of 2018, with the last in September.

Ortiz said the drug is “extremely potent” and almost impossible to detect by sight because it’s often mixed with other drugs, such as cocaine or heroin.

Cuyahoga County medical examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson issued a similar warning Thursday based on an increase in carfentanil seizures in the Cleveland area this year.

AP/The Ottumwa Courier/MATT MILNER Boys take part in the Cubsicle, a winter day of games and activities for Cub Scouts, in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Saturday.