3 ms·

> which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Consumption of about 2 milligrams of fentanyl (the size of two grains of rice) is

> which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Consumption of about 2 milligrams of fentanyl (the size of two grains of rice) is likely to be fatal depending on a person’s size. I don't understand why they keep bringing this up when they talk about fentanyl. Vitamin D doses are measured in micrograms. The daily recommended dose is 10 micrograms. Can you accidentally ingest 2 milligrams of Vitamin D? Unlikely; the pills with the maximum dose are listed at 5000 IU, which translates to 0.125 mg. You'd need to swallow 16 such pills, and that requires quite a deliberate act.

belval 4y ago
> I don't understand why they keep bringing this up when they talk about fentanyl. Because when the lethal dose is 2 mg, it's very easy for a careless dealer to make a bad mix and kill their customers. Fentanyl is cheap so you can cut everything with it to make it "stronger", but then you have some end user that usually consumes weaker stuff getting a deadly dose of fentanyl by accident.
- credit_guy 4y ago
  Well, I'm obviously not an expert, but can't the (illegal lab) producers just deliver fentanyl in low concentrations? Just like Vitamin D? I imagine the dealers don't want their customers to die. Why do they need to have pure Fentanyl anywhere? Why don't labs just mix Fentanyl with starch, let's say, in a 1:1000 ratio? My guess is that actually that's exactly what they do, it would be really a rookie mistake to not do that. And all those fentanyl deaths are not because fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, they are just old fashioned overdoses - people who used to shoot often, took a break, lost their tolerance, and then used again at the dose they couldn't tolerate anymore.
  - marcus0x62 4y ago
    Everyone involved in the supply chain has a motivation to dilute their product to make more money. There aren’t any standards on who dilutes the product, or by how much, nor is there any guarantee the dilution is done in a reliable way. Thus, end users get a product and don’t have any real idea what it contains or how pure it is.
iainctduncan 4y ago
Because this is a major cause of overdoses. When the potency is that high, and you have sketchy clandestine labs and criminal gangs cutting other drugs with it, the amount of fentanyl becomes a (very dangerous) unknown. People cutting fentanyl into other drugs are not known for a doing a laboratory job of mixing it.

belval 4y ago

> I don't understand why they keep bringing this up when they talk about fentanyl. Because when the lethal dose is 2 mg, it's very easy for a careless dealer to make a bad mix and kill their customers. Fentanyl is cheap so you can cut everything with it to make it "stronger", but then you have some end user that usually consumes weaker stuff getting a deadly dose of fentanyl by accident.

credit_guy 4y ago
Well, I'm obviously not an expert, but can't the (illegal lab) producers just deliver fentanyl in low concentrations? Just like Vitamin D? I imagine the dealers don't want their customers to die. Why do they need to have pure Fentanyl anywhere? Why don't labs just mix Fentanyl with starch, let's say, in a 1:1000 ratio? My guess is that actually that's exactly what they do, it would be really a rookie mistake to not do that. And all those fentanyl deaths are not because fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, they are just old fashioned overdoses - people who used to shoot often, took a break, lost their tolerance, and then used again at the dose they couldn't tolerate anymore.
- marcus0x62 4y ago
  Everyone involved in the supply chain has a motivation to dilute their product to make more money. There aren’t any standards on who dilutes the product, or by how much, nor is there any guarantee the dilution is done in a reliable way. Thus, end users get a product and don’t have any real idea what it contains or how pure it is.

iainctduncan 4y ago

Because this is a major cause of overdoses. When the potency is that high, and you have sketchy clandestine labs and criminal gangs cutting other drugs with it, the amount of fentanyl becomes a (very dangerous) unknown. People cutting fentanyl into other drugs are not known for a doing a laboratory job of mixing it.