CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Carfentanil is an opioid that has become more prominent across the state. According Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, first responders in a few counties have discovered carfentanil in five different instances in recent weeks.
This is a drug that is typically used by veterinarians to tranquilize elephants. Chief Jim Harry of the Cleveland Heights Fire Department said that it is an extremely potent drug. The attorney general’s office said carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
The attorney general’s office has warned first responders about taking the necessary steps to keep themselves safe if they respond to drug cases that involve carfentanil and fentanyl. They encouraged them to wear protective gear, as a way to protect themselves as well as evidence. Harry said overdose cases are a lot more frequent now than a couple decades ago.
“We have drug kits we call them and we have all sorts of medications that we use for people. Cardiac medications, respiratory medications and Narcan was something that was used extremely rarely 20 and 30 years ago,” he said.
Harry explained the importance of time when handling overdose deaths and when they become more frequent.
“When drug dealers start mixing batches of their drugs with fentanyl or carfentanil, it’s much cheaper so they can put out more and make more money, that’s when the overdoses start increasing,” he said.
Carfentanil had been a part of many drug overdose deaths prior to 2020, the year the pandemic hit.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, carfentanil had been involved in 4% of fentanyl-related deaths in 2020. But in 2019, that number was much higher: 17%.
Last year alone, there had just been five total overdose deaths connected to carfentanil in the state, according to Yost’s office. Over the last few weeks, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation confirmed three cases involving carfentanil that were submitted by Trumbull County law enforcement agencies in August.
In addition, a drug seizure in Franklin County found 3 kilograms last week. Yost also added that the Columbus Division of Police’s drug laboratory analyzed a case that involved the fatal overdose of a minor in September and found carfentanil.
Just before these three cases, two had only been confirmed so far this year.
In 2021, Ohio had more than 5,300 drug overdose deaths. The state had the seventh-highest death rate that year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
