Fentanyl spiked cannabis is fake, Fentanyl spiked cannabis is fake, Fentanyl spiked cannabis is fake

Scientists and researchers agree: Fentanyl-laced cannabis is fake, cops and media should stop scaremongering

In the last two years, some scary news stories about “fentanyl-tipped marijuana” have been made between some anti-cannabis information agencies and law enforcement agencies. However, its authenticity has never been confirmed by laboratory tests.

DOES WEED REALLY EXIST WITH FENTANYL INFUSED?

Leafly (NASDAQ:LFLY) took on a six-month research project examining claims about fentanyl-laced marijuana.

Leafly stated that many of their readers are adult marijuana users or medical cannabis patients, adding that they intend to let them know if their readers would be put in serious danger by using marijuana products.

Leafly added that the lie came from three sources: police departments with incentives to promote local fear, flawed on-site drug testing kits, and news reporters failing to inquire, follow-up or investigate police claims.

In fact, traces of fentanyl were only detected in one marijuana sample on US soil, which was just one of forty reported cases in Connecticut, where a state health leader conceded the case could be the first confirmed case in the United States.

Harm reduction specialists claim that even if cannabis has been dusted with fentanyl, it is unlikely to kill a consumer due to the lower temperature at which fentanyl burns compared to marijuana.

WebMD also stated that this is a myth. MD and Chief Medical Officer at American Addiction Centers said there is no scientific data to support the notion that fentanyl-laced cannabis causes widespread deaths.

According to OHRN (the Ontario Harm Reduction Network), there have been no laboratory-confirmed cases of fentanyl-laced marijuana. OHRN added that cannabis has a low profit margin, while fentanyl has a high profit margin.

Additionally, fentanyl’s high potential for fatal overdose makes it a poor option for instilling confidence. The thought that they would encourage addiction is irrelevant because of fentanyl’s lethality. That’s really a myth, Weinstein added.

Additionally, testing positive for both cannabis and fentanyl does not necessarily mean you have used fentanyl-laced marijuana.

In some cases, the person is more likely to also test positive for fentanyl or other substances. Fentanyl is much more commonly used to cut opioids. That doesn’t mean fentanyl can’t be used to bind other substances, but because of the likelihood and frequency, other substances are most likely what someone would need to be tested for, Weinstein concluded.

THAT’S HOW A DRUG PANIC IS LIKE

To try to help you understand how these claims got into the public mind, look at the two most recent cases.

A man in the Park City, Utah area called police on the morning of May 27, 2022, complaining that he had experienced an adverse health reaction after using marijuana. The Summit County Sheriff’s Department said after testing the marijuana, deputies believed the weed had been laced with the deadly narcotic “fentanyl.”

MEPs presented the results of the field trials as proven truth. What they failed to explain is how incredibly unreliable drug testing kits are, to the point where they are not admissible even in court. Widespread evidence suggests these tests often produce false positives, according to a New York Times/ProPublica investigation into American field drug tests.

Regardless of that fact, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office issued a public alert tweet and released a press release about how the man was plagued after ingesting fentanyl-laced weed.

And news networks in Jacksonville, Salt Lake City, Tulsa, Seattle, Miami, New York, San Antonio and Orlando quickly reinforced the claim. Almost all told the same story, which was a rewrite of the Summit County Sheriff’s press release issued by the Cox Media Group’s National Desk.

If history is any indication, we should expect the Summit County Sheriff’s Department to quietly retract its claim that fentanyl has been spiked in marijuana in the county in the coming months as a careful review by a state crime lab reveals the results of the invalidates original field tests.

The sheriff’s department’s recantation likely won’t even get a press release or follow-up tweet. And instead of writing a follow-up story, Cox Media Group’s national desk will quickly jump to the next headline related to fentanyl-laced weed.

A HISTORY OF FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT FENTANYL

False reports of “fentanyl-laced cannabis” have been around for some time. And in 2016 and 2017, Leafly began compiling these unsubstantiated reports. In theory, they’re perpetually terrifying, but their existence has never been confirmed, much like the fear of razor blades in Halloween candy bars.

Here are some instances where state and federal officials are raising fears about fentanyl-laced weed without evidence. Inspired by Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster, the fentanyl-infused urban cannabis legend continues to grow.

July 2018: A representative from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) gave a presentation explaining that fentanyl is used to lace a variety of drugs, including marijuana. When confronted with evidence, the bureau cited a 2015 Vancouver police report that had been refuted in 2016.

JUNE 2019: According to the Associated Press, a New York state sheriff confirmed his comments after lab tests showed the marijuana contained no fentanyl.

In all of the above cases, state officials couldn’t even find a victim of fentanyl-laced cannabis or a single lab test that definitively confirmed its existence. Some departments have retracted their statements, but other news outlets and agencies continue to perpetuate this foolish myth.

FINAL EFFECT

The fact remains that adulterating some medications with fentanyl is a serious and deadly problem as it can be abused or taken in excessive amounts. However, according to scientists, cross-contamination is not a major problem for marijuana users. In my opinion, anti-cannabis news outlets and law enforcement agencies continue to make these false claims simply because or to fuel the age-old stigma against cannabis in order to foment fear that will discourage people from using cannabis.

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