When you buy seeds or marijuana on the streets, you can’t confidently know what you’re buying. Sometimes, you may find fentanyl in weed—an anesthetic and painkiller opioid. Sometimes, you might want to buy cannabis in the streets instead of in a dispensary. Unfortunately, there may be cases when you get a batch of laced weed. This happens when someone mixes marijuana with something they shouldn’t.
- Toxicology experts were inspired to investigate the “deadly exposure” myth in 2017 after more than 150 media reports described first responder exposures to opioids.
- Someone, in theory, could adulterate legacy market cannabis and other drugs with a range of dangerous substances, including fentanyl, which can pose a risk to consumers.
- Leafly began documenting these unfounded reports back in 2016 and 2017.
- Naloxone, or Narcan, is a medication used for treating overdoses.
Whether it’s two imaginary high school students dropping dead from a joint, or dozens of America’s best and brightest Ivy Leaguers overdosing on tainted weed, the tragic news sells itself to viewers and readers. That toxic mix of chemicals was the true cause of the hospitalizations. If someone https://sober-house.org/ is experiencing an overdose, you should call for medical help. The Good Samaritan Law here in Indiana prevents you from getting into legal trouble for seeking medical assistance in the case of an overdose. If you or someone you know shows any of these symptoms, call 911 right away.
What’s in a Strain? 9 Simple Ways to Tell Good vs Bad Cannabis
But one line from the press conference has since spread across the internet like wildfire, reaching as far as Miami. Receive updates on new products, special offers, and industry news. If Yams’ mother had never contacted Hart, her son’s death would have remained misreported like thousands of other overdose victims nationwide. social media addiction symptoms In 2019, Gannett, the world’s largest newspaper chain, announced a companywide effort to change the way its newspapers cover crime. “The goal is to move beyond coverage that lacks context and relies on police narratives to the detriment of marginalized communities,” according to a 2021 analysis by the Poynter Institute.
This is a very real and serious issue that is causing overdoses to spike in many communities. Unlike in situations where powdered substances like heroin, cocaine, or meth are laced with fentanyl – with marijuana, you can sometimes notice a visual difference. If you see white specks inside of your weed, it could be laced with fentanyl. Back in early 2022, Elkhart County in northern Indiana released a warning for residents about fentanyl-laced weed.
We recommend always buying from legal sources that have tested their products for potency and purity. If not possible, inspect your marijuana for hard drugs or other substances. Consider its smell, taste, and appearance before consuming your seemingly regular weed. Ketamine is a party drug commonly used for its hallucinogenic and associative properties.
How to Tell if Weed is Laced with Fentanyl?
But it’s easy to understand why this kind of rumor spreads so quickly. Fentanyl is a horrible substance that is being used to cut drugs like heroin, probably because it’s cheap and relatively easy to produce. You might say it’s an easy way to infuse a sub-par product with a kick—something a shady dealer could one day theoretically use to beef up skunk weed if he or she were a sociopath. Cannabis may be laced with laundry detergent to enhance the smell and appearance and increase the product’s weight. Smoking marijuana laced with laundry detergent can cause health issues ranging from mild to moderate in severity.
What Does Fentanyl Look Like in Weed?
These devastating deaths are largely caused by the potent synthetic opioid drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is a potent opioid that is used medically to relieve pain in patients, particularly after surgery, and also to manage chronic pain. Illegal fentanyl is usually produced as a synthetic powder, and sold as a powder, a regular looking pill or in eye droppers and nasal sprays. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and therefore more deadly. Even two milligrams of fentanyl, equivalent to a grain of sand, obtained without a prescription can cause an overdose and death. Fentanyl is currently a leading cause of overdose deaths in the US.
How to Tell if Weed is Laced
The media has been complicit in this alarm, VICE News noted, citing a New York Times story that described a dealer spraying liquid fentanyl on baking sheets of weed, with zero context. Unintentionally consuming heroin-laced weed is dangerous, especially if a person has never used the drug before and has a low tolerance. Cannabis is not commonly laced with other intoxicating substances compared to other drugs such as heroin, LSD, and methamphetamines. However, the risk is always there with marijuana bought from illicit sources. Despite the facts and lab data, police departments and health officials continue to mislead the public about cannabis and fentanyl. That means it’s up to reporters, editors, readers, and viewers to call for an end to the misinformation.