RICHMOND, Va. -- How did fentanyl - the granddaddy of super-potent synthetic narcotics - end up killing superstar Prince?
And how is it killing drug-users here and across the country?
Some background first:
Fentanyl is a fast-acting synthetic opiate created in 1960.
"It is related to morphine and heroin but is completely laboratory made" and 100 times more powerful, said Dr. James Thompson, co-founder and Medical Director of Clean Life Medical, which treats addictions.
It is a very effective anesthesia and powerful painkiller for those suffering from extreme pain from things like metastatic cancer, Thompson said.
Fentanyl
Fentanyl abuse was long mainly associated with the medical profession - doctors, anesthesiologists would get strung out.
"It was very esoteric," Thompson said. "But nowadays, it's becoming mainstream. It's something that drug users seek out. They know about it, they know how to use it."
Cutting heroin with fentanyl is an old practice, Thompson said, but nowhere near as prevalent as it is now.
That's because illicit drug manufacturers are in the game.
You don't need to harvest opium poppies, you just need skills and a lab in say, Mexico, China, North Korea.
Stir a few grains of that into a dose of heroin and you've got super-strong stuff that you'll need more of quicker.
"If you can imagine," Thompson said. "If a drug distributor is mixing this super potent drug into powdered heroin, just a few extra grains in one dose can lead to an accidental overdose."
Richmond police Capt. Michael Zohab said there have just a handful of lab-proven fentanyl overdoses here. (Although many other jurisdictions are seeing big surges.)
But that and other chemicals used to cut heroin - and stronger heroin itself - has contributed to the recent avalanche of overdoses that has alarmed the nation.
Even longtime junkies are getting tripped up.
"Some of the overdose victims we've had are in their 60s," Zohab said. "I think our oldest surviving one is 71, 72 years old. They might know what they're doing, they might be using drugs for 30 years, but they really don't know what they're purchasing."
Fentanyl is just the tip of the synthetic narcotic iceberg in this era of rapidly evolving science and chemistry, Thompson warned.
Illicit drug makers have figured out newer, much-stronger synthetic formulas that they can make by the barrel, Johnson said.
Much of these synthetics move via the Internet and parcel delivery services, he believes.
"It just makes it so much easier for the drug distributors," he said. "And so much harder for drug enforcement agents, the police, and the people who try to help treat addiction and help people recover . . . It's scary."
Zohab warns those who are using so-called heroin not to use it alone.
"Have somebody there as a safety net," he said. "It might save your life."
