Injection Attacks: Are They Real?
The verdict: Injection attacks (being unconsensually stabbed and dosed with a drug) are extremely improbable at best.
The verdict: Injection attacks (being unconsensually stabbed and dosed with a drug) are extremely improbable at best.
#TestIt Alert: Round light blue pill sold in Philadelphia, PA as oxycodone (A 215) but actually contains para-fluorofentanyl, fluoro-4-ANPP, fluoro-phenethyl-4-ANPP, fentanyl, gabapentin, and acetaminophen. A round light blue pill with “A” over “215” separated by a break line was sold in Philadelphia, PA as oxycodone A 215 but actually contains para-fluorofentanyl, fluoro-4-ANPP, fluoro-phenethyl-4-ANPP, fentanyl, gabapentin, and acetaminophen. The sample was submitted from Philadelphia, PA. The sample was tested using GC/MS and LC-QTOF-MS technology. These misrepresented A 215 pills have been appearing increasingly in the Philadelphia supply, sold as oxy. They have been reported to “not taste right” when snorted. Para-fluorofentanyl, fluoro-4-ANPP, and fluoro-phenethyl-4-ANPP...
By: Rachel Clark, Programs & Communications Coordinator A round blue pill with “M” in a box on one side and “30” above a break line on the other was sold online as oxycodone 30mg, but actually contains exclusively fentanyl and 4-ANPP. The sample was submitted from New Jersey to Erowid’s DrugsData project. The sample did not react with the Marquis, Mecke, or Mandelin reagents. Fentanyl is active in minute quantities, which has made it a nationally-recognized contributor to the opioid crisis due to its concentrated (and often accidental) presence in pills and powders. It is popularly believed that fentanyl and its analogs...
WARNING! You may be using fentanyl testing strips incorrectly By Emanuel Sferios, DanceSafe founder Photo: Our new micro scoops - available here - which are meant to improve the safety and efficacy of fentanyl strip testing. A dangerous set of instructions for using fentanyl testing strips has been making rounds across the internet. For more than three years, I've been trying to correct this error whenever it appears, but like a game of Whack-A-Mole, it keeps popping up. It appears in Facebook posts by well-meaning harm reduction advocates, on the websites of reputable harm reduction organizations, and even in printed material distributed to...
By: Rachel Clark, Programs & Communications Coordinator Greetings, DanceSafers! As many of you know, we routinely release Test It! Alerts that detail the appearance, location, and contents of adulterated drugs around the country based on Erowid’s DrugsData Project and community-submitted entries. We believe that this information on its own is useful and important - however, we also want to ensure that our community understands the true purpose of these alerts, which is more than simply being aware of the current nature of the drug market. Why does DanceSafe release alerts? Test It! Alerts are not intended to indicate that a certain form of...
By: Rachel Clark, Programs & Communications Coordinator In early August, we released an alert notifying the public of fentanyl’s increasing prevalence as a potentially deadly adulterant in cocaine. As September quickly approaches, we have received new reports of a huge spike in overdoses in Melrose Park, IL - a suburb outside of Chicago - resulting in one death and multiple hospitalizations. Patients reported exclusively ingesting cocaine. Overdoses were successfully reversed by administrations of naloxone (Narcan), and displayed symptoms consistent with opioid overdose. While it is not certain which opioid caused these overdoses, fentanyl is the most likely suspect. This trend of...
By: Rachel Clark, DanceSafe Contractor In the midst of a global pandemic, America remains entrenched in its opioid crisis, particularly in the context of fentanyl adulteration. However, it is widely assumed that fentanyl is only prevalent as a contaminant in illicitly purchased opioid-like drugs, a sentiment that often disincentivizes buyers from using fentanyl testing strips on drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine. We have received reports of three fentanyl-related overdoses from cocaine occurring in Georgia in the last week and a half, one fatal. Additionally, multiple DrugsData submissions (now several weeks old) have indicated the presence of fentanyl in cocaine in...
By: Rachel Clark, DanceSafe Contractor Anecdotal reports of likely fentanyl-related overdoses, including deaths, are arising from multiple regions in Colorado. The city of Denver has experienced a 282% increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths, when comparing the first half of 2019 with the first half of 2020. Reports have included a death from an adulterated blue Xanax bar in Boulder, and another from a blue Oxy (presumably 30mg, though warnings about fentanyl in 10mg pills have also been released) in Colorado Springs, both in the last few days. At this time, pressed pills sold as pharmaceutical opioids on the illicit markets are extremely...
By: Rachel Clark, DanceSafe Contractor A round, light blue pill with “30” on one side over a score line was sold in Portland/Gresham, OR as Percocet 30mg, and tested positive for fentanyl using a strip test performed by the submitter. A pill from this batch reportedly induced an opioid overdose in a person who took it prior to testing. Percocet is the brand name for a combination of oxycodone (an opioid) and acetaminophen (a pain reliever and fever reducer). Both oxycodone and acetaminophen are the “generic names” - or, chemical names - of brand names such as Tylenol and OxyContin, respectively. Oxycodone...
By: Rachel Clark, DanceSafe Contractor We have recently received a concerning report about a sample of ketamine and a sample of DMT in the Northwest Chicago suburbs testing positive for fentanyl. Although fentanyl showing up in either of these substances is rare, it has been known to happen. Broadly, there are two reasons for this happening: Accidental adulteration (where a person doesn't clean a scale/scoop/baggie, etc. between uses when packaging multiple substances), or mixed up bags. Of course, the underlying reason for these situations is the same - the lack of a legal, regulated supply of all drugs for those who...