What is Carfentanil?
The newest drug on the street is Carfentanil. Carfentanil is an Opiod that is intended for use on Elephants. It is 10,000 times more potent than Morphine and 100 times more potent than Fentanyl.
Carfentanil is so deadly that first responders are having to take precautions in responding to overdoses to prevent them from inhaling it.
Last week the Florida Legislature passed a bill that made Drug Trafficking in Fentanyl illegal. In that bill they included Carfentanil. Carfentanil is a derivative of Fentanyl. While Carfentanil is supposed to be difficult to obtain, it is currently coming in predominantly from China.
Considerations For Potency & Quantity
In reviewing House Bill 477, it appears the legislature didn’t change the weight requirement for the two drugs. For example, possessing 4 grams of Fentanyl or 4 grams of Carfentanil will send you to prison for 3 years and incur a $50,000 dollar fine. However, 1,000 mg of Fentanyl, the equivalent in potency of 1 mg of Carfentanil, will easily kill a human.
When dealing with different drugs and Trafficking Minimum Mandatories, it is important look at the potency of the drug, as quanities of different drugs effect humans differently. While Carfentanil is a derivative of Fentanyl, it is much more potent so the person intending to benefit economically from it will need less of it. The counter argument is that drug dealers are mixing Carfentanil with Heroin and aren’t intending to sell it as a stand alone drug.
