Yes. Doctors believe fentanyl-laced marijuana caused the 39 overdoses Connecticut reported in the months after it legalized recreational marijuana in 2021. Naloxone, the drug that reverses an opioid overdose, helped in most cases. Of the 39 patients, 30 had a past of opioid abuse. Tests found fentanyl in one marijuana sample.
Summary: Connecticut legalized recreational marijuana in June 2021. By October, there were 39 reports of overdose. Doctors now believe fentanyl-laced marijuana caused these cases of sudden poisoning. Doctors could prove fentanyl-laced marijuana in just one case. But they know fentanyl-laced drugs are quite common. The patients’ records also show that 30 out of 39 had a history of opioid abuse. So, on purpose or not, they were exposed to fentanyl. But because of legal worries, they held back the truth. All users of legal marijuana should know about this.
Marijuana is now legal in many US states. People have pushed to legalize it for a long time, for many reasons. Humans have used marijuana for ages. Despite some bad effects, it does not cause severe addiction or poisoning. Science also knows its health harms well. In short, it is a fairly safer drug of abuse and comes from a plant. It also has some health benefits, like easing pain, helping with stomach problems and more.
Connecticut became the latest state to legalize marijuana in July 2021. Then came reports of severe poisoning from it. Within three months, 39 cases of marijuana overdose were reported. But the cases did not look like a typical marijuana overdose. And naloxone helped them a lot. Naloxone is mainly used for opioid overdose. So experts came to believe people had misinformed their doctors. On purpose or not, they had smoked fentanyl-laced marijuana. Testing of some samples backed up the theory.
Recreational marijuana may be legal in some states. But not everyone will use it for health reasons or use it responsibly. Many people addicted to street drugs and opioids are also likely to use marijuana. For many of them, marijuana does not give the high they want. So they may use marijuana laced with other drugs. In other cases, it may happen without users knowing. Some opioids cost much less to make than marijuana costs to grow. So adding them to marijuana may give users stronger effects, fast.
Fentanyl-laced marijuana poses a significant health threat
One opioid often mixed into other drugs of abuse is fentanyl. It is a lab-made opioid. It is made cheaply on a large scale and is easy to get. So it is often mixed into pricier drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and more. That makes addictive drugs cheap to produce. Sadly, many people may use such drugs, or fentanyl-laced marijuana, without knowing it.
It is vital to know that some people addicted to opioids may do this on purpose. But if they overdose on fentanyl, they are unlikely to say so, to avoid legal trouble. So they are more likely to mention only marijuana use.
This kind of mixing is dangerous in many ways, because users do not know what they took. It also creates a problem for doctors treating an overdose. Even when users know they overdosed on fentanyl, they still avoid telling the truth. But doctors know something. Marijuana may cause sudden poisoning, but it rarely causes severe problems like trouble breathing or passing out. Fentanyl and other opioids do.
In the Connecticut cases, experts found fentanyl-laced marijuana in just one sample. Still, they have firm reason to believe most, if not all, of the cases were fentanyl overdoses. The users’ records show it: 30 out of 39 had a known history of opioid abuse. Doctors can also judge from the symptoms. And naloxone, a drug used to treat opioid overdose, helped in most cases.
Not everyone believes the story of fentanyl in marijuana. But experts warn it is more common than many people think. Drugs laced with fentanyl are common, so why not marijuana?
Doctors warn marijuana users to be careful and stay alert. Marijuana or other drugs laced with fentanyl can do far more harm. Fentanyl is the common cause of accidental drug overdoses and deaths.
Related reading: Ketamine for Fentanyl Withdrawal · Isotonitazene: The Opioid Stronger Than Fentanyl