As if the loss of Bowie and a terrible reboot of Full House weren’t bad enough, 2016 will also be known as the year that elephant sedatives hit the street. Reports of Carfentanil being mixed with or passed off as heroin surfaced in several states this summer. The super-sedative, which is 100 times as potent as fentanyl and 10,000 stronger than morphine, has now spread to Canada where it’s claimed some 15 lives in Alberta alone. In what could be considered the worst news yet in the fight against the heroin epidemic, authorities are now scrambling to learn more about Carfentanil and how to stop it.
Wait…Elephant What?
I’ll admit it—when I read these headlines, my first thought was, “Seriously?” Recreational use of elephant sedatives sounds pretty hardcore. Then I remembered that I basically did cat tranquilizers back in the day when Special K was a thing, so no judgement. Besides, the strength and potency of the drug feels like the natural progression for a tragedy so out of control like opioid addiction. But what exactly is it?
Carfentanil first hit the market in the 1970s and since has been commercially sold as Wildnil—specifically as a general anesthetic for large mammals—and by large we mean rhinoceros, buffalo and of course the aforementioned pachyderms. The drug is potent enough that it’s classified as a W“Schedule II Narcotic controlled substance in the United States with a DEA ACSCN of 9743 and a 2016 annual aggregate manufacturing quota of 19 grams” according to the Federal Register. Wildnil is so strong that veterinarians wear protective gear before administering it to animals according to Rob Hilsenroth, director of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Alternatively, the drug is shot in darts at animals from long distances. How something this dangerous became a street drug is a mystery DEA agents and investigators are a long way off from solving.
Suddenly Last Summer
If you dig hard enough, you’ll find headlines relating to Carfentanil way back in 2002 as it was used as a toxic gas along with other lethal substances by Russian officials during the Opera House hostage situation. The drug then fell off the news radar until last summer. In July 2016, news of overdoses caused by the synthetic opioid surfaced in Ohio. The following month, in one week alone, some 96 overdoses in Cincinnati were believed to be caused by Carfentanil. Soon, news of the drug showing up in overdoses spread to Kentucky, Indiana, Florida and West Virginia. By September, DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg officially warned, “Carfentanil is surfacing in more and more communities. We see it on the streets, often disguised as heroin. It is crazy dangerous. Synthetics such as fentanyl and carfentanil can kill you.” As the year closes out, the Carfentanil nightmare has now spread to several parts of Canada.
The Lows of New Highs
According to a pair of Associated Press reporters, if you have the time, the money and a decent internet connection, Carfentanil can be easily procured from China. Moreover, the drug has been found mixed in with heroin supplies in places like Florida. Point being: this once rarely talked about sedative has now easily found its way into the hands of addicts seeking out the ultimate high. Folks like Joseph Pinjuh, chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force think the drug’s extreme high outweighs its consequences for serious addicts. “They know that’s the high that’ll take you right up to the edge, maybe kill you, maybe not,” he told the Los Angeles Times.”That’s the high that they want.”
I certainly identify with this. As an addict and rave goer in the 90s, I remember seeking out GHB after hearing that it was passed around the Viper Room the night River Phoenix died. Which, granted, sounds nuts considering a celebrity just died, but I didn’t care if the drug (or any other drug, for that matter) could kill me. It was having a mind-blowing high that mattered. The reality is that whether it’s cat tranquilizers, elephant sedatives or alcohol, for addicts no consequence is too high and no substance is too extreme.
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