1. Synthetic Opiate Linked to 12 Deaths in Rhode
Island
Written by Spencer Kinard
June 7, 2013
| Last Updated on Friday, 07 June, 2013 15:28
A substance called acetyl fentanyl has been linked to 12 deaths in Rhode Island over the past week. The
drug is a synthetic opiate and there is little to no information about where it is coming from or how to
stop its production. A special lab had to be used to test the substance in order to determine what it was.
Everyone who had died in the past week as a result of the drug was said to have been an intravenous
drug user, meaning that they were shooting the drug into their veins. The drug is said to have similar
properties as morphine and is extremely dangerous. More deaths are expected to be a result of this drug
since there is currently no way of telling where the drug is being produced or how many Rhode Island
residents have access to it. The potency of the drug is lethal and most people who inject it will die.
Synthetic opiates are some of the most dangerous drugs on the market. Not only are they a derivative of
opiate drugs, there is no way for a user to tell what’s in them and how potent they are. Unlike a
prescription opiate that has dosage as well as ingredient information that’s readily available to the
public, synthetic drugs are often cut with harmful, lethal substances and they are not regulated by the
FDA making them very high risk drugs. The biggest problem with synthetic opiates is that they are
man-made and most people who are manufacturing these types of substances do so in order to make the
highest profit, meaning they will do nearly anything it takes to increase the potency and lower the costs
by substituting dangerous and cheap chemicals that are extremely harmful to the body.
If you or someone you know is suffering from opiate dependence it’s important to offer them help. In a
non –judgmental way, let the person know that you care about them and that you want to see them
happy and doing well. If the person accepts your offer, you may want to start helping them investigate
different substance abuse treatment programs so that they can detox and get the tools they need in order
to start turning their life around. A lot of people chose to use synthetic drugs because they think that
these drugs will go undetected on tests. This is not the case. Most drug tests are sophisticated enough
now that they can detect synthetic properties that are foreign to your body. If someone is using
synthetic drugs because they get tested regularly, they are clearly not ready to start changing their life
and their health will start to suffer the more they use these harmful drugs.