CT may have detected first case of fentanyl-laced marijuana
Robert Lawlor said marijuana laced with fentanyl had been discussed over the years as a sort of “urban legend.”
But the myth has become a reality with Connecticut reporting what could be the nation’s first confirmed case of fentanyl-laced marijuana, according to the state’s top health official. “This is the first lab confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,” state Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said in a statement released Thursday.
Lawlor, the drug intelligence officer for the Connecticut Overdose Response Strategy team, said while it’s just one case, officials are trying to raise awareness because “maybe we need to start listening to these urban legends and myths.” The finding has also prompted warnings from local police departments about only purchasing marijuana from legitimate businesses. While possessing and consuming marijuana for recreational use is now legal in Connecticut, buying and selling recreational pot remain illegal. “We need to do more testing on our marijuana supply in Connecticut to know what’s out there,” Lawlor said.
In a statement, the ORS team, a nationwide public health and safety imitative to devote more resources to the overdose epidemic, said there have been reports in Connecticut of people who claimed to only have smoked marijuana, but were experiencing opioid overdose symptoms and required naloxone to be revived. The ORS team said there were 11 cases reported in July, nine each in August and September and 10 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 26. The incidents were dispersed throughout Connecticut, with several jurisdictions reporting multiple overdoses with opioid symptoms attributed to marijuana. Watertown police said there has been at least one death linked to suspected fentanyl-laced marijuana.
While there had been these reports of suspected tainted marijuana, Lawlor said officials could not confirm the fentanyl’s existence without testing the product.
In early October, police in Plymouth had several overdose incidents where naloxone was required and the individuals claimed they only smoked marijuana. Lawlor said police were able to collect some of the marijuana at one of the overdose scenes that was sent to the state lab for testing.
Lawlor said the sample tested positive for marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol and fentanyl. “When we got the test back and it was positive for fentanyl, we were like, ‘OK, now what? What do we do?’” Lawlor said.
“We really don’t want to be alarmist,” Lawlor added. “We are trying to inform the people of what we know. There are still a lot of questions. It is just the one case that tested positive, but maybe we need to start paying a little more attention to these cases.”
He said increased awareness and testing more marijuana seized from arrests or drug busts will help better monitor what’s out there.
“We’re not here to comment on your drug use,” Lawlor said. “We’re here to save lives and keep people alive ... Just be safe. It’s not just all myth and legend anymore.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes fentanyl as a powerful synthetic opioid typically used to treat severe pain. The drug is about 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, the CDC said. Fentanyl continues to be a contributing factor in fatal overdoses in Connecticut. Data released by state officials indicated about 84.6 percent of the state’s overdoses through the end of September involved fentanyl.
“The illegal purchase of legal drugs is not only illegal, it poses inherent risks,” Watertown police said in a statement this week, adding they were aware of at least one overdose death in Connected from suspected fentanyllaced marijuana. Police did not indicate where the overdose occurred.
Dr. James Gill, Connecticut’s
chief medical examiner, said the state’s toxicology testing after an overdose cannot definitively determine if a person died from marijuana-laced fentanyl or from a separate use of marijuana and fentanyl.
“In order to determine that, a drug packet needs to be tested,” Gill said. “Unfortunately, drug packets are not always found at a scene of death.”
He said his “major concern” for state residents potentially ingesting marijuanalaced fentanyl is that they likely do not realize what they are purchasing.
“They may think they are only buying marijuana, but it also has fentanyl,” Gill said. “There is no FDA on the street and so it is impossible for a person who buys drugs on the street to know what they are purchasing or what ‘dose’ they are purchasing.”
Authorities encouraged any residents who experience adverse side effects from illegally purchased marijuana to seek medical attention as soon as possible. The CDC indicates that symptoms of an overdose might include constricted pupils, loss of consciousness, slow and shallow breathing, choking or gurgling sounds and pale or cold skin.
While there appears to have only been instances reported in Connecticut, Winthrop — a town in the southeastern corner of Massachusetts — alerted the public to the confirmed lab test here. “Fentanyl is often disguised with other drugs, and people may not know that they are consuming it,” Winthrop Public Health Director Meredith Hurley said in a statement this week. “With the recent discovery of marijuana laced with fentanyl in Connecticut, it is more important than ever to be vigilant and to know the signs of an overdose.”
Anyone who notices someone potentially experiencing an overdose should call 911 immediately and, if possible, administer Narcan — a brand name of naloxone, used to reverse the effects of overdoses. For resources of overdoses, prevention and resources, visit www.drugfreect.org/resources /ct-goodsamaritan-law/.