The Myth of Cops Overdosing from Touching Fentanyl Persists for a Reason (2021)(defector.com)

5 pointsby Amorymeltzervor 5 Monaten1 comments

The Myth of Cops Overdosing from Touching Fentanyl Persists for a Reason (2021)

https://defector.com/the-myth-of-cops-overdosing-from-touching-fentanyl-persists-for-a-reason

1 comments

zahlmanvor 5 Monaten

> More reports, ones that quoted more than just police officers, came a few days later. The New York Times headlined its story about it “Video of Officer’s Collapse After Handling Powder Draws Skepticism.” NBC News’ report was “Viral video on San Diego deputy's fentanyl exposure raises questions.” “You can't just touch fentanyl and overdose,” Marino, the #WTFentanyl doc, told NBC News. “It doesn’t just get into the air and make people overdose.” Leo Beletsky, a Temple law graduate with a masters in public health, told the Times “it is not biologically possible” to overdose on fentanyl from touching or being exposed to the drug. (He’s much more of a credit to the institution than Dr. Munch.) Still, despite the outlets’ reporting and citations from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force and a peer-reviewed research from the International Journal of Drug Policy, the cops aren’t said to be lying in cases like this, or even wrong. They simply have raised questions and drawn skepticism.

Given that Wikipedia lists multiple sources to confirm that fentanyl for medical use is administered transdermally, and has over 90% bioavailability through this route (and also notes that it can be absorbed by inhalation although this isn't a common deliberate route of administration), and given that it is dozens of times more potent than morphine (which has effective dosages in the single-digit milligram range); and given that we're talking about seizures of supposedly pure fentanyl, I don't see why I should take these experts' bald assertions at face value.