In response to a plethora of misinformation surround marijuana being allegedly mixed with fentanyl, New York regulators have released a fact sheet to clarify the situation.
The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has released factsheet titled Cannabis and Fentanyl: Facts and Unknowns. The fact sheet is meant to “address misconceptions about cannabis being mixed with fentanyl”.
The goal of this fact sheet “is to provide evidence where it is available, to share information about what is currently known and unknown, and to provide safety tips to help alleviate some of these misconceptions, often spread through misinformed media coverage and anecdotal reporting.”
The factsheet states that “Warnings related to fentanyl “contamination” in cannabis have increased as states continue to legalize cannabis.” However, “At this time, there have been zero verified incidents of fentanyl “contamination” in cannabis.” The OCM notes that there “is no guarantee that any unregulated cannabis product is free from contaminants or harmful ingredients.”
Key findings of the report include:
- Misinformation related to the danger of accidental overdose due to cannabis “contaminated” with fentanyl remains widespread.
- Anecdotal reports of fentanyl “contaminated” cannabis continue to be found to be false, as of the date of this publication.
- Many people who use opioids are stigmatized in health care settings. This contributes to mistrust that can result in inaccurate self-reporting or failure to disclose opioid use due to fear of inequitable care or punitive interventions by law enforcement.
- Promoting opioid overdose prevention and other harm reduction strategies improves public health through evidence-based interventions and stigma reduction.
- Reliable testing protocols for the presence of fentanyl on cannabis flower remain unknown. Fentanyl test strips are commonly used to identify the presence of fentanyl in other substances to reduce potential harm and prevent opioid overdose.
- Fentanyl test strips were designed for testing substances that are water soluble, with current testing methodologies focused on detecting the presence of fentanyl in powders or pills.
- As stated in the Office of Addiction Services and Support’s Fentanyl Test Strip Guidance, as fentanyl is not found in the cannabis supply, it is not recommended to use fentanyl test strips to test cannabis.
The full fact sheet can be found by clicking here.
