Fentanyl-laced marijuana alert: Police issue public warning after lethal drug found in New York county
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol has releasted a statement advising the public that marijuana laced with fentanyl has made its way into New York State. According to Sheriff Maciol, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office arrested an individual for possessing marihuana that was mixed with fentanyl. Sheriff Maciol confirmed this information directly from speaking to an official at the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.
In the US, fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance per the Controlled Substance Act.
According to Oneida County sheriff office's official statement: "Fentanyl is believed to be linked to a majority of the overdose deaths across the country. In the past, fentanyl has been mixed with cocaine and heroin, but mixing it with marijuana is relatively new and can have serious and fatal side affects.
"Fentanyl is a very powerful synthetic opioid, is now one of the most common drugs involved in overdoses, and is typically 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. In 2017, 60% of the opioid related deaths in the United States involved fentanyl as compared to 14% in 2010."
“With fentanyl laced marijuana now confirmed to be in New York State, I am extremely concerned for the safety of anyone using marijuana. Everyone needs to be aware that the potential of getting fentanyl laced marijuana is possible and the side effects can be deadly, said Sheriff Maciol, adding, “We have seen the tragic results of what heroin and fentanyl mixed together can do and I fear for what will be happening now that it’s being mixed into marijuana."