Crime & Safety
First Carfentanil Death In Wisconsin Confirmed; Drug 10k Times More Powerful Than Morphine
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner has confirmed that carfentanil, an immensely powerful synthetic opiate, had caused a death on Monday.
MILWAUKEE, WI -- The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner confirmed on Monday that the death of a resident that morning was caused by carfentanil, a synthetic opiate used as an elephant tranquilizer.
The drug can often resemble powdered cocaine, according to the DEA. It is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine, 5,000 times more powerful than heroin, and 100 times more powerful than fentanyl. “We see it on the streets, often disguised as heroin. It is crazy dangerous. Synthetics such as fentanyl and carfentanil can kill you," said DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg on the agency's website.
The drug is so lethal that it has been used as a chemical weapon, according to Time. The DEA website does not state a lethal dose for carfentanil, but a quick mathematical equation leads to the possibility that two-hundredths of a milligram (.02 mg) can kill a person. (The lethal dose of fentanyl is 2mg, and carfentanil is 100 times stronger).
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Article image via shutterstock
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