Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report that warned that carfentanil has “reemerged in the U.S. drug supply.” Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
Between the periods of January–June 2023 and January–June 2024, the number of overdose deaths that involved carfentanil increased more than eightfold, from 29 to 238. Overdose deaths that involved carfentanil were detected in 37 states.
The CDC said that the carfentanil-involved overdoses “highlight the ever-changing illegal drug supply and threaten progress in reducing overdose deaths.” This development comes as non-opioids like xylazine are also being increasingly mixed into the drug supply.
Though the number of overdose deaths has begun to decline nationwide, the CDC’s report noted, “overdose deaths could substantially increase if carfentanil further infiltrates the drug supply, as evidenced by previous outbreaks.” The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a warning about carfentanil in 2016.
The Indiana Department of Human Services said carfentanil “is often mixed in with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine or crystal meth — and often drug users have no idea their drugs have been tainted.” The Virginia Department of Health reminded residents that “carfentanil can resemble powdered cocaine or heroin.”
A 2018 report from the CDC said carfentanil is “the most potent fentanyl analog detected in the United States.”
