Potentially fatal large-mammal sedative ‘likely’ detected in N.S. street drugs
HALIFAX — One of the most potent opioids on the planet has likely made its way to the East Coast — and it poses a deadly risk for street drug users, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer said Friday.
Dr. Robert Strang said that drugs seized by police earlier this month have a “high probability” of containing carfentanil, used by veterinarians to sedate elephants and other large mammals.
“It is used as an anesthetic for large animals — and I emphasize large animals — in veterinary medicine,” he said.
Strang says it’s the kind of substance that can cause breathing to slow so rapidly that it can kill within minutes of ingestion.