Authorities Say New Opioid, Carfentanil, Which Was Designed To Tranquilize Elephants, Is 100 Times More Dangerous Than Fentanyl

The CDC has issued a warning against a new variation of fentanyl, called Carfentanil, which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more deadly than fentanyl.

According to a new report published by the CDC, between January 2021 and June 2024, there were over 513 overdoses of carfentanil. Authorities are particularly concerned as in the last year, the use of carfentanil has increased seven-fold.

Designed in 1974 and intended to tranquilize elephants and bears, carfentanil has now been labeled the most potent commercial opioid on the market. Only two milligrams of the drug – roughly one 50th the size of a pinch of salt – is enough to result in permanent brain damage or death.

In the last two years, 251,089 people in the U.S. have died from drug overdoses, with 74% of the cases involving fentanyl or a fentanyl variation.

In recent years, carfentanil, which comes in the form of powder, tablets, paper, patches, spray and more,  has killed hundreds across 37 states. When in powder form, it is typically mixed with other dangerous and illegal drugs such as xylazine.

Overdose deaths related to carfentanil increased dramatically halfway through 2023, with a spike from 29 to 175 by the end of the year – an increase from the previous year of approximately 503%. In June of this year, it was reported that 238 people had died from the drug since January.

The areas most affected by the drug are primarily in the East, with states such as Florida, West Virginia and New York coming in at the highest. Four states did not participate in the survey.

It is unclear where the carfentanil is being produced, but it is believed to have been created illegally rather than stolen from legal sources.

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