Cannabis
Washington U. Doctor Raises Alarm About Fentanyl-Laced Marijuana – Medical Marijuana Program Connection
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A psychiatrist at Washington University said there is a rise in cases of young people unknowingly smoking marijuana laced with fentanyl.
Dr. Michael Wenzinger, a staff psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, said some of his patients’ toxicology results have shown fentanyl in their system when “they thought they were just smoking marijuana,” Fox News reported.
Illicit forms of fentanyl come to the United States mainly from Mexico and China, according to a DEA report. Drug traffickers lace marijuana, cocaine, and illicit pills with fentanyl because it’s a cheap way to add addictive qualities to keep their customers coming back, ABC News reported. The powerful drug is now the top cause of overdose deaths in the country.
This is not just being seen in Wenzinger’s office, and it is not a new phenomenon. In 2021, the Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a warning that 39 cases of overdoses in 2021 were related to individuals who had reportedly just been smoking marijuana.
In one of those overdose cases, police were able to obtain a sample of the marijuana, which tested positive for fentanyl.
“This is the first lab-confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D.
Death is a serious concern associated with fentanyl-laced marijuana. Wenzinger said smoking marijuana in general can pose…
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