Fentapills – What You Need To Know

The swift rise of Fentapills is as concerning as the fact that much of the distribution of these dangerous pills is happening online and to young people. Students, parents and anyone concerned about the nation’s opioid epidemic need to learn about the dangers posed by Fentapills.

Fentapills – What Are They?

The word Fentapill is commonly used to describe a range of non-prescription, black-market pills that contain the powerful opioid drug, Fentanyl.  The underground labs that create Fentapills manufacture them to look like pharmaceutical-grade pills…but they aren’t.

According to law enforcement, the most common form that Fentapills take is a blue 30-milligram dose of oxycodone with the label M-30. Fentapills are also designed to look like Hydrocodone, Xanax, or Percocet. The Fentapills that young people often buy online are marketed as anti-anxiety or pain medications.

Fentanyl vs Heroin – What’s the Difference?

Heroin is a refined by-product of the opium poppy plant whereas Fentanyl is a lab synthesized drug. What this means is that Fentanyl is less expensive to produce, is more potent, and easier to smuggle into the U.S. This is important because many people selling more “traditional” opioids like heroin have either switched to selling Fentanyl or are heavily adulterating the other drugs they are selling with it.

Fentanyl is a lab-created drug that is considered to be one of the strongest opioids. Since it is sometimes prescribed for medical use to treat major and severe or chronic pain, Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance. Fentanyl works as a euphoric and a pain reliever in the same way as morphine, however, it is far more potent.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Fentanyl is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Because of this, the fatal dose of Fentanyl can be quite small. Furthermore, research shows that only 3 milligrams of Fentanyl is needed to trigger an overdose in an adult versus 30 milligrams for a heroin overdose.

Are We In The Midst of A Fentapill Epidemic?

It is reported that members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) started seeing Fentapill overdoses in 2016 and there has been a huge uptick in their use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The LAPD recently reported that over half of all drug deaths in LA County are related to Fentanyl. Furthermore, there were over a million Fentapills seized last year in LA County alone. In Minnesota, DEA agents also seized at least 46,000 fake prescription pills in 2020.

The problem is compounded by the fact that young people seem to be especially susceptible to targeting by online dealers selling Fentapills. There have been many instances where dealers have used Snapchat and other social media platforms to sell Fentapills to young people. Often the Fentapills are marketed as Xanax or some other prescription medication, which is what the young people think they are buying.

Many tragic overdose deaths have come about because of this. As a result, groups have formed around the families of the victims who are demanding change from the social media giants. Because of this, Snapchat has significantly increased its security and enforcement around drugs on the platform. Time will tell if this has an impact.

If you or someone you know is struggling with drugs or alcohol, please contact us today.

To speak to someone at New Life, call us at: 856-942-3700 or send us a Text Message.