Fentanyl, often referred to as the “zombie drug,” is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, making it one of the most dangerous and inexpensive narcotics available.
New Ultra-Potent and Toxic Drugs
The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department – C04 (Ministry of Public Security) has issued a critical warning about a newly emerging drug known as fentanyl. The drug market is becoming increasingly diverse; in addition to the production of synthetic drugs like crystal meth and ketamine, criminals are also manufacturing synthetic forms of fentanyl.
This drug is 50 times more addictive than heroin and 100 times more than morphine, and it is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States due to fentanyl. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023, approximately 100,000 deaths (ages 18-45) in the U.S. were recorded due to fentanyl-related overdoses.
Not only in the U.S., but Canada is also facing a severe crisis, with fentanyl accounting for a significant portion of overdose deaths. Several other European countries, such as Germany, have also reported an increase in fentanyl abuse.
Fentanyl is an opioid pain medication that provides powerful pain relief and is often prescribed by doctors for patients in many countries. It can be administered through injection, nasal spray, sublingual tablets, or transdermal patches.
However, fentanyl and its derivatives, including alfentanil, remifentanil, sufentanil, acetylfentanyl, butyrfentanyl, and furanylfentanyl, have a high potential for addiction and have been abused in drug manufacturing. Consequently, they have been classified by the United Nations under the Controlled Substances List according to the 1961 international convention.
Misuse of fentanyl and its derivatives can have severe health consequences, leading to rapid physical dependence. Illegally produced fentanyl is even more dangerous due to lack of regulation, and just a very small overdose can be fatal.
Fentanyl in medicine. (Photo: The Guardian).
Users of this illegal substance often measure doses inaccurately, leading to a high risk of overdose. Not only through injection or ingestion, but even inhaling fentanyl or skin, eye, nose, or mouth contact can cause poisoning.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the toxicity of fentanyl and its derivatives is extremely high, resulting in a mortality rate among illicit users that is several times higher than that of heroin. This substance annually causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the global addiction community.
Is Fentanyl Widespread Worldwide?
Illegal fentanyl can appear in various forms and names, depending on the preferences and needs of users in different regions. In some countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Germany, addicts often extract fentanyl from pharmaceutical products.
In the U.S., fentanyl is sold in pill, powder, or liquid form under familiar names such as “white powder,” “synthetic heroin”, etc. Sometimes it is sold as a powder mixed with cocaine or heroin or as counterfeit pharmaceuticals containing fentanyl, making it easy for inexperienced users to overdose without knowing what they are consuming or the dosage. Even the sellers or manufacturers may not accurately know the dosage used in production, increasing the risk of overdose.
Fentanyl is mostly smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico and Central and South American countries. The production and trafficking of fentanyl are complicating security situations in Central and South American countries, with criminals fiercely competing for trafficking routes to deliver fentanyl to the U.S.
In Southeast Asia, fentanyl has been discovered and seized in Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand (recently, Thailand seized over 510 tons of aniline, which could be used to produce 85 tons of fentanyl).
China is currently the “main manufacturing hub” for illicit fentanyl production and its precursors. Measures to control the production and export of fentanyl have been intensified in recent years to mitigate global impacts.
Illegal fentanyl hidden in a candy box. (Photo: Los Angeles Police Department, U.S.).
Today, the popularity of fentanyl and its derivatives is increasing in North America and showing signs of spreading worldwide. Between 2012 and 2016, 17 fentanyl-related substances were reported to the UNODC by countries in East Asia, Europe, and North America.
Drug production tools using fentanyl-related substances are easily accessible, inexpensive, and the production process does not require complex techniques, making this criminal group a significant challenge for drug prevention efforts in various countries.
How is Vietnam Preventing Fentanyl Drug Issues?
To prevent the illegal transportation, sale, and use of fentanyl, Vietnam has classified fentanyl under Category II (substances used in limited circumstances for analysis, testing, scientific research, criminal investigations, or in healthcare as regulated by the competent authority) in Decree No. 73/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018.
Fentanyl derivatives such as: alfentanil, remifentanil, sufentanil, acetylfentanyl, butyrfentanyl, furanylfentanyl, etc., are also regulated under this decree.
So far, through examination efforts, fentanyl and its derivatives have not been detected or seized in Vietnam. However, given the expanding market for these drugs from the Americas to the Oceania region and spreading to Asia, the emergence of this drug in the region and Vietnam is inevitable.
Additionally, China is a country with a supply of chemicals and precursors exploited by criminals to manufacture fentanyl and fentanyl analogs illicitly worldwide, alongside India; thus, it is predicted that fentanyl-type drugs will soon appear in the region and Vietnam.
In light of this situation, to prevent the fentanyl threat, it is crucial to intensify public awareness campaigns, especially targeting youth, students, and pupils about the dangers of drug threats; focusing on new types of drugs; drugs “disguised” as food, beverages, cigarettes, herbs (marijuana), “laughing gas,” etc.; and encouraging the public to detect, report, and promptly inform law enforcement.
Cooperate with relevant agencies such as Customs, Market Management, Industry and Trade, Health, Agriculture, and Rural Development to enhance inspections, detection, and handling of goods that are food, beverage, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes of unclear origin being imported into Vietnam, as well as the import-export, circulation, prescription, and use of fentanyl-containing medications for treatment.
In the process of combating drug crime and through drug testing efforts, pay attention to proactively detect new drugs, new precursors appearing in localities, especially highly toxic new psychoactive substances like fentanyl, to promptly prevent, investigate, and strictly handle according to legal regulations.
