poledriver
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Carfentanil, a deadly drug used to tranquillise elephants, has been detected in Sydney
ONE of the world’s deadliest drugs has been discovered inside Australia’s borders for the first time.
Australian Border Force officials recently detected a package containing carfentanil in a Sydney mail centre, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Carfentanil is a synthetic drug commonly used to sedate elephants and animals of similar size.
It’s an analog of fentanyl, a synthetic drug used in heart surgery, but is far more powerful and thus makes it easier to overdose on in smaller amounts.
Officers warn that a single gram of carfentanil is enough to kill 50,000 people.
Drugs like fentanyl and W-18 have sparked concern in Australia over the past few years, amid a new wave of deadly painkillers emerging across the world.
But carfentanil is far more dangerous.
In an interview with news.com.au, Adjunct Research Fellow with the National Drug Research Institute Stephen Bright warned the drug was already showing up on streets in the United States.
“We’re seeing carfentanil being sold in the US,” Dr Bright said. “That’s 100 times stronger than fentanyl — and that’s a fact. It’s used on animals. It’s used to take down elephants. The amount of the reversal agent required for humans is six times that of a heroin overdose.”
ABF NSW regional commander Tim Fitzgerald likewise stressed its dangers are not to be underestimated.
“Carfentanil can be fatal to humans in incredibly small doses, and is toxic when injected, ingested, inhaled, or even if it comes in contact with unprotected skin and eyes,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
Cont -
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...y/news-story/ad61d3d3166096dd288cf5f30f86807b
ONE of the world’s deadliest drugs has been discovered inside Australia’s borders for the first time.
Australian Border Force officials recently detected a package containing carfentanil in a Sydney mail centre, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Carfentanil is a synthetic drug commonly used to sedate elephants and animals of similar size.
It’s an analog of fentanyl, a synthetic drug used in heart surgery, but is far more powerful and thus makes it easier to overdose on in smaller amounts.
Officers warn that a single gram of carfentanil is enough to kill 50,000 people.
Drugs like fentanyl and W-18 have sparked concern in Australia over the past few years, amid a new wave of deadly painkillers emerging across the world.
But carfentanil is far more dangerous.
In an interview with news.com.au, Adjunct Research Fellow with the National Drug Research Institute Stephen Bright warned the drug was already showing up on streets in the United States.
“We’re seeing carfentanil being sold in the US,” Dr Bright said. “That’s 100 times stronger than fentanyl — and that’s a fact. It’s used on animals. It’s used to take down elephants. The amount of the reversal agent required for humans is six times that of a heroin overdose.”
ABF NSW regional commander Tim Fitzgerald likewise stressed its dangers are not to be underestimated.
“Carfentanil can be fatal to humans in incredibly small doses, and is toxic when injected, ingested, inhaled, or even if it comes in contact with unprotected skin and eyes,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
Cont -
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...y/news-story/ad61d3d3166096dd288cf5f30f86807b