Drug overdoses continue their rapid rise in the US as the opioid crisis continues. The New York Post reported that for the first time that there had been over 100,000 overdose deaths in 12 months in the year 2021.
Many people know that these tragic occurrences started from natural opiate prescription painkillers and heroin abuse. Still, recently they have been linked to an increase in people using illicit drugs laced with fentanyl, including cocaine, methamphetamines, and ecstasy. This has even led people to smoke marijuana laced with fentanyl. Let’s look at the dangers of marijuana laced with fentanyl
What Is Fentanyl?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s said to be more potent than morphine. It has been approved for use in medical settings but has also been manufactured illegally and sold as a street drug.
What makes this dangerous narcotic even worse is not just its potency—but the fact that it can often be disguised as less potent opiates or laced with them covertly. As of 2017, 59% of all opioid-related deaths involve fentanyl alone.
Can Marijuana Be Laced with Fentanyl?
Drug lacing has been increasingly prevalent in recent years. Potentially laced with any other drug desired, it’ll primarily depend on what effect the user wishes for during their high.
Fentanyl is a potent opioid commonly found in recreational drugs such as marijuana to magnify the effects sought after by recreational users.
Numerous states have also reported how dangerous this laced product has become – affecting countless lives already. But there’s also an opposing view; some advocacy groups and experts argue that fentanyl-laced marijuana remains to be nothing but a hoax. However, overdoses seem to be a major problem where these products are concerned nonetheless. More research is required to prove this claim.
How to Tell if Marijuana Is Laced with Fentanyl
Aside from frying-smoke dealers, some pot sellers won’t specify whether their weed has been laced. Others will buy dope straight from the hands of someone who may not be aware if it’s real weed or not. To protect yourself, there are four things you need to know to make sure what you’re getting isn’t laced.
Smell It: Fresh marijuana has a natural, earthy scent similar to grass or leaves; anything that smells harsh, like paint thinner, acetone, or other chemicals, indicates possible adulteration.
Look At It: Blue-white crystals mixed into cannabis indicate potential adulteration.
Test strips may be used as a part of harm prevention efforts. Originally meant for drug screening in urine samples, these strips are now also being manufactured for sweat testing to detect drugs such as Fentanyl.
To use a fentanyl test strip, the substance is diluted with water and then deposited onto the strip; this process takes about 3 minutes and will give off results within 15 minutes if the sufficient concentration is present.
However, some drawbacks include that these tests cannot gauge potency or quantity – they show if enough potentiation is present in the sample when tested.
What Are the Dangers of Mixing Marijuana and Fentanyl
Marijuana is not harmless. It can cause psychosis, other significant side effects, and addiction. But when mixed with a narcotic such as fentanyl, there are even greater risks – including death.
Fentanyl causes overdoses due to its ability to slow the central nervous system. Mixing any drug or chemical with cannabis will also create this risk of dependence and overdose. Here are some of the dangers of mixing marijuana and fentanyl.
Overdose
The fentanyl-laced marijuana bust shows how dangerous recreational drug use has become. Although someone may smoke marijuana only once or twice a year, the wrong joint could send them to the ER or morgue, depending on which drug is used for lacing the marijuana. You can’t tell just by looking at a laced weed that it’s been tampered with – so a person might overdose without knowing.
Addiction
Marijuana can be highly addictive when used alone. It’s much stronger now than it was decades ago because growers have been selective about breeding for higher levels of THC. This has led to a strong mix of many drugs that are also very addictive – like opioids such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and sometimes even heroin! If weed is laced with these substances, it becomes much more addictive than if it wasn’t mixed.
Breathing and Heart Problems
Fentanyl and other drugs used to lace marijuana can cause changes in one’s breathing pattern or heart rate. Many people who smoke laced pot are likely to suffer from irregular or rapid heartbeat and an increase in blood pressure. Chronic drug use may lead to cardiac damage, lung disease, and even death.
Aggressive Behavior
Marijuana mixed with PCP can lead to harmful and volatile behaviors. It makes people lose control of themselves and do things they normally would never do. With marijuana being known for its hallucinatory effects, it becomes even more risky since these drugs together may produce an unpredictable effect on the user. Smoking this mixture could trigger uncontrollable behavior or violence because people cannot fully process what is happening.
Other Drugs That Marijuana Can Be Laced With
What is the definition of laced? Laced relates to when other substances are added to drugs for various reasons. It might be used to increase their potency, bulk up the initial dose, and increase profit. For instance, if a drug is sold based on its weight, adding another substance can make it heavier.
Therefore, a dealer can charge more for it. Marijuana could potentially have any substance mixed in purposefully or accidentally. That’s one reason that no drug is harmless, including marijuana. People selling lower-quality marijuana may lace it with something to intensify its effects. Some of the other drugs that marijuana can be laced with include:
- Heroin
- LSD
- PCP
- Methamphetamine
- Cocaine
- Ketamine
Get Help for Marijuana Addiction
As these drugs are easily addictive, people often need to take an addiction recovery route so they don’t die from an opioid overdose. There are many addiction recovery and treatment options available that a medical professional can recommend at your discretion.
At Defining Wellness Centers, we offer treatments geared toward drug abuse issues. Our team of professionals is here for you 24/7 and will answer any questions. Feel free to call us today at (855) 637-0867!
