Fentanyl Misinformation Jeopardizes Overdose Treatment

Fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid driving the nation's high drug overdose rates, is caught up in another serious problem: misinformation. False and misleading narratives on social media, in news reports and in popular television dramas suggesting people can overdose from touching fentanyl — rather than ingesting it — are informing public policy and spending decisions, NPR reports. Some state and local governments are investing money from their share of billions in opioid settlement funds in efforts to protect first responders from purported risks described in fentanyl misinformation. In 2022 and 2023, 19 cities, towns, and counties across eight states used settlement funds to purchase drug detection devices for law enforcement agencies, spending just over $1 million. Two mass spectrometers .were purchased for at least $136,000 for the Greeley, Colo., police department, "to protect those who are tasked with handling those substances." There is almost no evidence that law enforcement personnel are at heightened risk of accidental overdoses due to such exposures.

Although fentanyl-related deaths have risen drastically over the past decade, no evidence suggests any of these deaths have resulted from incidentally touching or inhaling it, and little evidence that any resulted from consuming it in marijuana products. Recent data indicates that fentanyl-related deaths have begun to drop. Still, there is a steady stream of reports — which generally turn out to be false— of officers becoming ill after handling fentanyl. Experts say it's unlikely those episodes were caused by the fentanyl itself — more likely, officers' fear and anxiety resulted in panic attacks or similar symptoms. Fentanyl is present in most illicit opioids found at the scene of an arrest, said Brandon del Pozo,, a retired Burlington, Vt., police chief who researches policing and public health policies and practices at Brown University. That "doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of money on fentanyl detection for officer safety."