An overdose prevention nonprofit is warning visitors to Orlando this weekend to remain vigilant about their use of party drugs, especially at the three-day Electrical Daisy Carnival, following the detection of a highly-potent tranquilizer in the local street drug supply.
According to Project Overdose, the powerful synthetic opioid carfentanil has been detected in a range of counterfeit pills and powders throughout Orange and Seminole counties.
Considered roughly 100 times more potent than the synthetic opioid fentanyl, carfentanil has been implicated in a rising number of overdose deaths in recent years. It’s a powerful central nervous system depressant, originally manufactured as an elephant tranquilizer, that can be deadly for humans if even a small amount is ingested.
“Even by fentanyl standards, carfentanil is extraordinarily lethal,” said Andrae Bailey, founder and CEO of Project Overdose. “The data show it’s circulating again in the Orlando area, and it’s probably not confined to opioids.”
Although it’s unclear which drugs carfentanil is specifically being mixed into, Bailey told Orlando Weekly that it’s most likely to be mixed into cocaine, meth, or counterfeit pills and powders sold to partygoers as MDMA or prescription painkillers. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, just 0.2 milligrams of carfentanil can be lethal. “A single dose can end a life in seconds,” Bailey warned.
Although drug overdose deaths last year declined in Florida and across the U.S., powerful fentanyl analogs like carfentanil have remained at the center of the nation’s overdose crisis.
According to provisional data, Florida saw 5,364 overdose deaths in 2024, down from 8,227 fatal overdoses in 2020. Nationwide, more than 82,000 people died of fatal drug overdose last year, down from over 107,000 U.S. overdose deaths in 2022.
“We are all about harm reduction and trying to keep people safe,” said Bailey, adding, “We’re kidding ourselves if we think that there’s not going to be drugs at EDC.”
Nonetheless, he said, “We think they [EDC attendees] should know that there’s a wave just recently of incredibly dangerous carfentanil, and that people need to be more alert than ever.” If you’re taking drugs and you’re not sure what’s in them, “you could be risking your life.”
“People need to be more alert than ever”
Andrae Bailey, CEO and founder of Project Overdose
Dr. Kendall Cortelyou, a global health management professor at the University of Central Florida and national data director for Project Overdose, said prevention and preparedness “could save lives this weekend.”
Orlando’s three-day EDC, running from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, is expected to welcome an anticipated 300,000 attendees at Tinker Field outside Camping World Stadium. The electronic music festival is known for its party culture, and although it has a stated zero-tolerance policy for drug use or paraphernalia, there’s little doubt in Bailey’s mind that drugs will be present.
Orange County’s Emergency Medical Services, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and the fire department, says first responders are “fully prepared” to attend to urgent medical needs this weekend, in light of prospective dangers.
“This event is something we’re ready for every year,” Dr. Christian Zuver, medical director for Orange County’s EMS System, said in a statement. “OMD and the city of Orlando works closely with our local hospital systems to maintain consistent communication and functionality, ensuring all first responders and medical professionals are ready for any situation.”
A county spokesperson confirmed that several vendors at EDC will have Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication, to hand out to attendees. There will also be educational materials available to demonstrate how to administer Narcan (a brand name for naloxone, an opioid antagonist) in the event of a suspected overdose.
Signs of an overdose involving carfentanil can include slowed or stopped breathing, loss of consciousness, gurgling noises, clammy skin, pinpoint pupils, and disorientation.
Fentanyl test strips, a tool recently legalized in Florida that can be used for detecting the synthetic opioid fentanyl in drugs, can “sometimes” detect its stronger analog carfentanil, too, said Bailey. However, “Fentanyl test strips are very hit or miss,” he admitted, especially if you’re trying to test a pill rather than a powdered substance.
Carfentanil has reportedly been detected in at least 37 states, according to the DEA, although Bailey said the drug “has been pretty rare over the years in Central Florida.” To see it moving back into the community is “definitely” cause for alarm, he said.
The drug was specifically detected by Project Overdose through a new drug tracking system the nonprofit launched last week, powered by artificial intelligence. The system gathers information about drugs in the community, down to the zip code, through anonymized urine tests (i.e. there’s no personal, identifiable information attached).
“This isn’t just speculation. It’s based on real laboratory data,” said Dr. Cortelyou.
Dr. Zuver, with Orange County EMS, said that since the event is within city of Orlando limits, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics with the Orlando Fire Department “will be on site to provide immediate medical care.”
“The event promoter will staff a field emergency department with advanced capabilities, and OMD physicians will be present throughout the weekend with access to additional medications and advanced airway management tools,” he added.
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