Fentanyl forcing Arizona DPS to treat discovered drugs differently
Sep 18, 2017, 2:42 PM
(Drug Enforcement Agency Photo)
PHOENIX — Fentanyl, a potent and potentially deadly opioid, is changing the way the Department of Public Safety handles roadside testing of drugs.
DPS Director Col. Frank Milstead said the department’s policy on white, powdery drugs was changed because of the risks fentanyl poses to both human and animal troopers.
“Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than heroin,” he said. “It can be absorbed into the skin or inhaled if wind came up or a car drove by.
“The officers are instructed, on white powder, to secure it and transport it to a laboratory.”
Milstead troopers will continue to take drugs into state laboratories, despite the facilities being overwhelmed.
“We’re kind of our own worst enemy; we are seizing more drugs,” he said. “It’s kind of a catch-22 for us, but it’s the right thing to do for the public.”
As for getting more lab personnel to help, Milstead said that’s not possible. Gov. Doug Ducey and the Legislature are well aware of the dangers opioids pose, and yet “It’s just very limited growth in the state budget right now that we’re dealing with.”
The backlog – which currently numbers more than 2,000 tests — could affect criminal cases. Milstead said his department was committed to getting the tests carried out in quick fashion.
Fentanyl is an opioid available in pill or liquid form that was developed as an alternative to morphine.
It can be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine; some estimates put its effect at 10,000 times more powerful, depending on the form.
It was developed in the 1960s and introduced to the medical market in the 1990s.
It’s a safe surgical anesthetic when used and monitored carefully and, because it’s very soluble in fat and oil, has a more localized effect than morphine.
Fentanyl is also made and used illegally, especially as a substitute or cutting agent for heroin. The Drug Enforcement Administration said Chinese laboratories that make legal painkillers are some of the biggest worldwide suppliers.