Deaths Linked To Elephant Tranquilizer More Than Double Across West Virginia

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April 15, 2018 – Overdose deaths linked to heroin cut with a potent opioid meant for tranquilizing elephants more than doubled last year across West Virginia. Data released by the West Virginia Health Statistics Center shows the opioid battered state continues to grapple with the influx of powerful synthetic opioids like carfentanil, which is roughly 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Early numbers reveal deaths from carfentanil jumped from 34 in 2016 to 78 in 2017, reports The Register-Herald. Officials with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) note that a final tally of opioid deaths in 2017 is not yet available. Police departments in the state say the threat posed by carfentanil, which can be absorbed through the skin and inhaled, is forcing officers to take added precautions during drug encounters. “Once we learned about exposure incidents, we changed our practices,” said Beckley Police Chief Lonnie Christian, according to The Register-Herald. “We no longer field test anything we believe contains carfentanil or fentanyl. As much as a grain of salt can cause an overdose. It’s so dangerous. Unless you’re wearing PPE, personal protection equipment, completely covering you from head to toe, there’s no way to avoid exposure.”