Life Threatening Synthetic Opioid (W-18) Parents Beware!
There’s a new drug that’s been hitting the streets of the United States, and it’s called W-18. This is a synthetic opioid that’s 100 times more potent than fentanyl, and it’s 10,000 times more potent than morphine. The drug was patented by the University of Canada back in 1984, but due to many obvious risks, it never went into production. Recently, a Chinese chemist came across the medical journals that explained the drug, and it’s been being produced recently.
The New Opioid Makes its Way to the United States
In China, there are much different laws, and it’s also a part of the world where there’s an abundance of opium plants. Thousands of years ago, people of the east were smoking opium for different reasons from pain management to a search for spiritual experiences. Now, it’s become one of the primary parts of the world to begin making drugs like heroin or opiate-based medications. W-18 started circulating in China in the last couple years, and it was specifically created for a cheap, legal high.
In March of 2016, a man in Broward county was arrested for smuggling drugs from China, and 2.5 pounds of W-18 was found was well. The South Florida man was sentenced to 10 years at a federal prison for smuggling the deadly drug fentanyl from China. Fentanyl is much more potent than heroin, and recently drug dealers have been cutting heroin with fentanyl, which has been part of the reason so many people are overdosing. The problem is that none of the man’s charges were for the drug W-18.
New Drugs Present Many Problems
The South Florida man was not charged for any crimes revolving around W-18 because there were no laws against it. When a new drug surfaces, this is one of the primary issues. When it’s a substance nobody has seen before, there are no specific laws to charge people who are selling the drug. This is in the process of being worked on though, and Health Canada is setting a precedent by working on adding it to its Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
One of the main problems with W-18 is how powerful it is. When the potency of a drug is that high, it doesn’t take much for a person to get high off the drug. It also doesn’t take much for a person to overdose either. With heroin, a person may only use .3 grams of the drug, but they’d only need a microgram (0.000001 gr) of W-18. The other issue is that doctors and other medical professionals don’t know how to test for this drug yet, which makes it difficult to help someone if they overdose.
Getting Help for an Opiate Addiction
If you’re struggling with an addiction to opiates, don’t wait until it’s too late. When it comes to opiates, you never know if your next hit is going to be your last. If you’re tired of living the way that you’ve been living, allow Boca Recovery Center to help. We’ll help you by linking you with local detox services that we’re partnered with, and then we’ll provide you with the treatment you need to begin a new life. No matter how low you feel you’ve sunk due to your addiction, we can help. We’re passionate about helping people retake control of their lives and beginning the healing process from active addiction.