# Why are they pushing Fentanyl these days? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 5, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822 "2017-08-05T02:52:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/61 "2017-08-15T22:27:00Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > That’s nothing. Just wait for Carfentanil. From an addiction recovery website - > > “Carfentanil is a powerful derivative of fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic analgesic produced from morphine. While fentanyl is about 100 times more powerful than morphine, carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, meaning it is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.” > > Federal Register via Wikipedia"…and a 2016 annual aggregate manufacturing quota of 19 grams.[4]" > > 19 grams for an entire year. Pretty potent stuff, me thinks. More potent and powerful does not mean the high is 100 times more powerful than morphine or Carfentanil is 100 times more powerful high than fentanyl. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > \<\\> Doctors did NOT switch to fentanyl. I said street chemists made it, **to fill the demand for opioids that had previously been met by prescription diversion**. . Not sure what you mean by this? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/62 "2017-08-15T22:38:00Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > More potent and powerful does not mean the high is 100 times more powerful than morphine or Carfentanil is 100 times more powerful high than fentanyl. > > Not sure what you mean by this? Prescription diversion-patients (or caregivers) selling their own prescription pills on the street. Also, nurses or pharmacy employees stealing pills. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/63 "2017-08-16T00:12:49Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > So why is Oxycontin/Oxycodone, hyrdromorphone AND morphine use down but fentanyl so high? > > Why is fentanyl the big range these days? Why so many people use fentanyl these days and Oxycontin/Oxycodone, hyrdromorphone AND morphine use down? Not trying to be a dick, but we’ve explained that. Synopsis: Doctors were prescribing a ton of prescription opiates to help people deal with pain. Many of these drugs ended up on the black market. So up until a few years ago, the black market was full of opiates that people got from their doctors that ended up on the black market. The DEA cracked down on doctors prescribing these drugs. This drastically reduced the supply of prescription opiates. At the same time, Chinese chemists got good at synthesizing synthetic opiates not made from opium. Things like fentanyl. Fentanyl also has the benefit of being far cheaper per dose, and requiring far less drug. Smuggling 1 kilogram of fentanyl is easier than smuggling 50 kilograms of heroin. So starting a few years ago, chinese fentanyl started flooding the streets due to all the benefits fentanyl brings (cheaper, easier to smuggle and hide due to smaller bulk) combined with the black market drying up in its supply of prescription opiates. If you look at fentanyl OD rates, they were pretty minor until about 2-5 years ago. Then they exploded. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/64 "2017-08-16T01:56:06Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > More potent and powerful does not mean the high is 100 times more powerful than morphine or Carfentanil is 100 times more powerful high than fentanyl. Right. But it does mean that overdoses will be a lot more common because it is more difficult for everyone involved to measure/control the amounts: the average user doesn’t have high accuracy scientific scales. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/65 "2017-08-16T15:52:47Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > That’s not at all what he said. > > Try reading it again. It’s only two sentences. I quoted exactly what he said. If you think I changed what he said in the quote box, you should report my post for breaking forum rules. Unless you are admitting that Ambivalid is your sock account, you have no way of knowing what he meant, and to be honest I don’t care what you think he meant. He’s a big boy, he can defend or disavow that statement himself. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/66 "2017-08-16T16:00:26Z")
> [@Crazy\_Canuck](#): > > I quoted exactly what he said. If you think I changed what he said in the quote box, you should report my post for breaking forum rules. > > Unless you are admitting that Ambivalid is your sock account, you have no way of knowing what he meant, and to be honest I don’t care what you think he meant. He’s a big boy, he can defend or disavow that statement himself. What he meant is that addicts don’t consider possible lethality as a bug, it’s a feature. It means they will get the best high since they’re getting the largest possible dose. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/67 "2017-08-16T16:14:57Z")
Thanks Running Coach, but did you read the second sentence of mine that you just quoted? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/68 "2017-08-16T17:29:19Z")
> [@Crazy\_Canuck](#): > > I quoted exactly what he said. If you think I changed what he said in the quote box, you should report my post for breaking forum rules. > > Unless you are admitting that Ambivalid is your sock account, you have no way of knowing what he meant, and to be honest I don’t care what you think he meant. He’s a big boy, he can defend or disavow that statement himself. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, assuming that you would look again and realize that in your haste, you had wildly misinterpreted what he wrote, and that you’d say “d’oh!” and possibly apologize to **Ambivalid** for your mistake. It seems things went a different way. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/69 "2017-08-16T17:52:02Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, assuming that you would look again and realize that in your haste, you had wildly misinterpreted what he wrote, and that you’d say “d’oh!” and possibly apologize to **Ambivalid** for your mistake. It seems things went a different way. It’s still possible that I’ll end up apologizing. To be clear, I like Ambivalid as a poster and I actually am hoping I’m reading this wrong. However, that’s not going to stop me from calling that post out. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822/70 "2017-08-16T17:56:39Z")
having lived with someone that had a legally prescribed fentanyl patch its easy to see why its more popular … you don’t need 3 or 4 different drugs for pain … if you have cramps or anything it works wonders you can be cramping twitching in total pain … slap a new one on and an hour later your totally still counting the pretty dots on the ceiling drooling … Until near replacement time when it starts to wear off and the pain comes back in a rush … grumpy is being nice … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-pushing-fentanyl-these-days/792822.md?page=3)