CT State Health Officials Warn About Opioids Mixed With Marijuana

CONNECTICUT— State health officials are cautioning residents about the danger of marijuana mixed with fentanyl.

The warning Friday from the Connecticut Overdose Response Strategy and the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services, comes following reports of marijuana users who have exhibited opioid overdose symptoms and required naloxone for revival. Those patients denied any opioid use and claimed to have only smoked marijuana.

Recent incidents where only marijuana use was reported but naloxone was required include 11 cases in July, nine cases in August, nine in September, and 10 cases last month.

The reported incidents were dispersed across Connecticut. Several jurisdictions had multiple overdoses with opioid symptoms attributed to marijuana, but detected no pattern.

In early October 2021, Plymouth had several overdose incidents where naloxone was required for revival and patients claimed to have only smoked marijuana. At one of these overdose scenes, the Plymouth Police Department was able to secure a sample of the marijuana for testing at the state laboratory.

The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Division of Scientific Services Forensic Lab confirmed that the sample of marijuana obtained by Plymouth Police Department tested positive for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and fentanyl, as well as marijuana.

"This is the first lab confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States," said DPH commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani.

The CT ORS Team projects that the "continued volatility of the illicit drug market" will lead to continued increases of both fatal and non-fatal overdoses. State health officials are recommending that residents who use substances obtained illicitly know the signs of an opioid overdose, do not use alone, and have naloxone on hand.

Anyone who experiences an overdose, or witnesses someone overdosing, should call 911 immediately. The state's "Good Samaritan Law" protects people who call 911 for emergency medical services for an overdose situation from arrest for possession of drugs and/or paraphernalia.