Health · Public Health & Disease · 3 hrs ago
Fentanyl found in saliva of 21 synthetic-cannabis users in São Paulo
A University of São Paulo study detected fentanyl in 21 of 65 users of synthetic cannabinoids, known locally as K drugs.
The saliva samples came from people treated at three health services in São Paulo, Brazil.
None of those who tested positive said they had used opioids, suggesting their exposure was unintended and unknown to them.
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that can slow breathing and cause a fatal overdose, even in small amounts.
The people who tested positive were mostly men experiencing homelessness, and the median age of the study group was 23.
The findings point to possible fentanyl exposure through specific synthetic-cannabinoid supply chains, though the study does not establish exactly how it happened.
Researchers say the presence of fentanyl in street drugs raises health risks and should alert authorities.
A University of São Paulo study detected fentanyl in the saliva of 21 of 65 users of synthetic cannabinoids in São Paulo.
The 21 positive results represent 32% of the people tested.
None of the participants who said they had used synthetic cannabinoids reported opioid use.
Researchers warned that unknowingly taking fentanyl can raise the risk of fatal respiratory depression.
The samples were collected at three health services in the city.
- Who
- Researchers at the University of São Paulo tested 65 synthetic-cannabinoid users.
- What
- Fentanyl was detected in the saliva of 21 participants, or 32%.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- Three health services in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Why
- The study examined whether synthetic-cannabinoid users had been exposed to fentanyl; the source of the exposure was not established.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Researchers collected saliva samples from 65 synthetic-cannabinoid users at three health services in São Paulo.
Tests detected fentanyl in 21 of the 65 participants.
- Participants tested
- 65 synthetic-cannabinoid users
- Positive saliva tests
- 21, or 32%
- Sample locations
- Three health services in São Paulo
- Study institution
- University of São Paulo
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What people are saying
Fentanyl is a very potent opioid, with strict restrictions, used in hospital settings. In the operating room it causes controlled respiratory depression, at a measured dose, for a specific purpose. Imagine a user taking this uncontrollably on the street, with no idea of the dosage. They face a high risk of death.