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What is fentanyl?                   
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.1,2 It is a schedule II prescription drug,3 and it is typically used to treat patients with severe pain or to manage pain after surgery.4 It is also sometimes used to treat patients with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to other opioids.5 In its prescription form, fentanyl is known by such names as Actiq®, Duragesic®, and Sublimaze®.5,6 Street names for fentanyl or for fentanyl-laced heroin include Apache, China Girl, China White, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfella, Jackpot, Murder 8, TNT, and Tango and Cash.
 
Why is fentanyl dangerous?
Opioid receptors are also found in the areas of the brain that control breathing rate. High doses of opioids, especially potent opioids such as fentanyl, can cause breathing to stop completely, which can lead to death.9 The high potency of fentanyl greatly increases risk of overdose, especially if a person who uses drugs is unaware that a powder or pill contains fentanyl.6,10 Fentanyl sold on the street can be mixed with heroin or cocaine, which markedly amplifies its potency and potential dangers.11

The medication naloxone is an opioid receptor antagonist that reverses opioid overdose and restores normal respiration.12Overdoses of fentanyl should be treated immediately with naloxone and may require higher doses to successfully reverse the overdose.10,13
 
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An excellent article by Ass. Professor Dr Anthea McCarthy-Jones (Canberra Times, Drug cartels a new danger, Times 2, p1, May 23). However, it dealt purposefully with law enforcement, with scant mention of the important role of health and social policy aspects of illicit drugs.

A larger demand for illegal drugs in Australia reflects not only increased affluence but an ineffective policy. Overall, anti-gun laws in America have been weakened in the past 30 years despite a simmering national resentment against a gun death toll of about thirty thousand annually. The National Rifle Association's support for Donald Trump will certainly exacerbate the problem.

Australia's story with drugs ( and many would say with guns) has been much the same. Drugs and drug use are shunned as a NIMBY, but if that's the case, they are virtually everywhere else.

Every kilogram of toxic drugs can be likened to an illegal firearm. Very few in this country want laws against guns eased, so why are drug elites pushing governments and politicians to do that with prohibiting laws on drugs, and their use ? Let's not go down the Donald Trump gun path with drugs.
 
Colliss Parrett
Drug Advisory Council Australia
24/43 Blackall Street
Barton A.C.T. 2600
6273 5505

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“Executive function, impulse control, attention, psychomotor function and subjective intoxication were significantly worse after cannabis administration relative to placebo.”
 
"Overall, the present study demonstrates that cannabis induced impairment does not depend on cannabis use history and indicates that tolerance to impairing effects of cannabis on neurocognitive function is generally absent in frequent users. These data confirm previous suspicions that neurocognitive impairments during cannabis intoxication do occur in infrequent as well as frequent cannabis users.”
 
"The present demonstration of absence of tolerance to cannabis impairment has important implications for risk perception in frequent users. It implies that neurocognitive function of daily or near daily cannabis users can be substantially impaired from repeated cannabis use, during and beyond the initial phase of intoxication. As a consequence, frequent cannabis use and intoxication can be expected to interfere with neurocognitive performance in many daily environments such as school, work or traffic.”
 
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Cancer risk to kids from cannabis use: University of Western Australia found that cannabis alters a person’s DNA, potentially exposing future generations to serious illnesses such as cancer. “In my 20 years of research on human cells, I have never found any other drug, including heroin, which comes close to the DNA damage caused by marijuana” – Dr Akira Miroshima.

WA researchers have warned that cannabis use causes genetic mutations that can be passed on to children and grandchildren.

Chromothripsis and epigenomics complete causality criteria for cannabis- and addiction-connected carcinogenicity, congenital toxicity and heritable genotoxicity
•       Albert Stuart Reece,  Gary Kenneth Hulse  link

University of WA scientists found cannabis alters a person’s DNA structure, potentially exposing future generations to serious illnesses and diseases such as cancer. They said the implications for future generations had not been understood and were alarming.

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