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Taking Care of Ourselves & Each Other

Health & Well-Being Resources

80's-inspired graphics Credit: Allison Piwowarski

Protecting our communities — what is fentanyl?

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Let’s be clear about the data — the vast majority of Stanford students do NOT use drugs. We know that approximately 12% of our community has used some type of illicit substance within the past year. That puts 12% of our student body at risk for purchasing and using drugs that may be counterfeit and laced with highly lethal substances, such as fentanyl.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a highly potent (50x more potent than heroin, 100x more potent than morphine) synthetic opioid that is cheap to manufacture. If you imagine pinching just a few grains of sand between your fingers, that is a lethal dose of fentanyl. Check out more facts and FAQs about Fentanyl and fake pills here: Facts about Fentanyl

In 2021, deaths from fentanyl overdoses became the leading cause of death for 18-45 year olds. The vast majority of these deaths are accidental and caused by ingesting drugs from the illicit market that are unknowingly laced with fentanyl; in other words, fentanyl poisoning.

Fentanyl is often found in counterfeit pills that look identical to prescription opioids (e.g. Oxycodone, Percocet), prescription benzodiazepine medications (e.g. Xanax, Ativan, Valium), and many other types of illicit drugs. Expect and act as if any substance purchased from illicit markets contains fentanyl.

The most important thing to know is that a single pill can kill. Whether you are experimenting, trying a pill for the first time, or you are more experienced with taking pills - if you are obtaining drugs from any source other than a licensed pharmacy or licensed dispensary, the risk of the drugs being laced with fentanyl is disturbingly high.

Recent research has revealed that, nationally, in a sampling of drugs circulating the illicit market, almost HALF contained a lethal dose of fentanyl. In some localities (like northern and southern California and the northeast) this percentage is estimated to be much higher.

Protect each other — seek help without fear! 

Good Samaritan laws in the state of California protect those who seek to help someone who has used illicit substances, even if they themselves have also used illicit substances. Similarly, the university practices Good Samaritan policies that you can read about here.

Help our communities —don’t harm us.

As a reminder, students are legally liable, and will be held accountable by the university and law enforcement if they provide, sell, or intentionally drug another person against their knowledge with illicit substances. This is a serious offense and is an affront to the community values we hold.

Fentanyl Testing Strips — do I need them?

Fentanyl testing strips (FTS) are a strip that allows a person to dissolve the substance they plan to use into a small amount of water and test if there is fentanyl in the substance. Importantly, testing strips do not tell you HOW MUCH fentanyl is in the substance, they only test for the presence of fentanyl.

They can be a life saving harm reduction measure for certain types of drug testing. However, they are not an alternative to, or as effective as, avoiding substances acquired on the illicit market.

Source matters! 

One should assume that any drug obtained off the illicit market could be laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl has been found in counterfeit prescription pills claiming to be things like Percocet or Xanax, but has also been found in cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and many other types of illicit drugs. Lacing is not always intentional. It can happen by accident with cross contamination during production. Don’t assume that just because a source is an experienced drug user or seller that their supply isn’t laced. 

The Chocolate Chip Paradigm 

Cookies Credit: Allison Piwowarski

When distributors are prepping counterfeit pills and pressing them to sell, there is no quality control. That means that each pill you get could have varying amounts of fentanyl either purposely, or due to cross contamination in the preparation stage. Much like the chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie, fentanyl is not evenly dispersed in the drug. So, if you test one pill in the bag and the result is negative for fentanyl, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is no fentanyl in the other pills in the bag.

  • If you are testing pills, the only way to know that your pills aren’t laced is to test each pill individually – again, just because fentanyl was not detected in one pill in the batch, doesn’t mean it isn’t in the rest.
  • If you are testing powder, strip manufacturers advise that you shake up the powder to distribute whatever is in the powder more evenly and then test several different portions, remixing each time for best results. A negative result still isn’t a guarantee of no fentanyl in the batch because even just a few grains of fentanyl is a lethal dose.

Testing strips ARE really useful when you get a positive result. A positive result means you throw away the entire batch, it’s laced with fentanyl, and you should assume the whole batch is laced. 

A negative result is more complicated. It doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t fentanyl in the batch. It just means it wasn’t detected in the pill or bit of powder that you tested. It's also important to remember, fentanyl is only one type of drug that is commonly used to lace all sorts of illicit drugs. There are many other highly potent synthetic opioids and fentanyl testing strips have yet to be well tested against the newer analogs for their usefulness in detecting them. Fentanyl testing strips will only tell you if there is fentanyl in the drug.

If you are going to use drugs, the safest option is to use ones that came from a trusted licensed pharmacy.

Avoid online stores that front as a pharmacy! If you buy drugs off the illicit market (unlicensed online “pharmacy”, off of social media, or from a friend or dealer), and that drug tests positive for fentanyl with a strip, throw out the whole batch. It’s laced and likely deadly. Learn more about how fentanyl testing strips work here.

On Campus Resources

Additional Resources

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Curious about your relationship to substances?

Cardinal Recovery is an open and growing community ready to welcome you as you explore your past, present, and future relationship to substances. Any student, regardless of their recovery pathway, relationship, or status, is invited to participate in this community. Learn more about Cardinal Recovery via visiting the link below.