What is special about the 'zombie' drug that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine that the Ministry of Public Security warned about?

Fentanyl is also known as the "zombie drug" because it is 50 times stronger than heroin, and 100 times stronger than morphine, it is the most dangerous drug and is very cheap.

New drug is extremely strong and extremely toxic

The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department - C04 (Ministry of Public Security) has issued a hot warning about a new drug called fentanyl . Accordingly, the drug market is increasingly diverse, in addition to producing synthetic drugs in the form of crystal meth and ketamine, subjects also produce synthetic drugs in the form of fentanyl.

This drug is 50 times more addictive than heroin, 100 times more addictive than morphine and is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the US due to fentanyl. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023 the US recorded about 100,000 deaths (aged 18-45) due to overdoses related to fentanyl.

Canada is also facing a serious crisis, with fentanyl accounting for the majority of overdose deaths. Several other European countries, such as Germany, have also seen an increase in fentanyl abuse.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid painkiller that is commonly prescribed by doctors to treat patients in many countries. It can be injected, sprayed, placed under the tongue, or used as a skin patch.

However, fentanyl and its derivatives such as alfentanil, remifentanil, selfentanil, acetylfentanyl, butyrfentanyl and furanylfentanyl are highly addictive and have been abused in the manufacture of narcotics. Therefore, they have been listed by the United Nations as controlled substances under the 1961 International Convention.

Improper use of fentanyl and its derivatives can have serious health consequences, leading to rapid physical dependence. Illegally produced fentanyl is even more dangerous because it is not regulated, and even a small overdose can be fatal.

Fentanyl in medicine. (Photo: The Guardian).

Illicit users often measure their own doses incorrectly, which can lead to overdose deaths. Inhaling fentanyl or coming into contact with the skin, eyes, nose, or mouth can also cause poisoning.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the toxicity of fentanyl and its derivatives is very high , causing the mortality rate among illicit users to be many times higher than that of heroin. This substance is the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths in the global addict community every year.

Is fentanyl prevalent worldwide?

Illicit fentanyl can appear in many different forms and names , depending on the tastes and needs of users in different regions. In some countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Germany, addicts often extract fentanyl from pharmaceutical products.

In the US , fentanyl is sold in tablet, powder or liquid form with familiar names such as 'white porcelain', 'synthetic heroin' . Sometimes they are sold retail as powder mixed with cocaine or heroin or as fake fentanyl-containing pharmaceuticals, inexperienced users can easily die because they do not know what type and how much they are using. And even drug sellers or manufacturers may not know exactly how much dosage they use to produce, which can easily lead to overdose.

Fentanyl is smuggled into the United States largely from Mexico and Central and South American countries. The production and transportation of fentanyl is making the security situation in Central and South American countries very complicated, with criminals fiercely competing for routes to transport precursors and bring fentanyl to the United States.

In Southeast Asia, Fentanyl has been detected and seized in Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand (Thailand recently seized more than 510 tons of Aniline, which could be used to produce 85 tons of fentanyl).

China is now a 'major manufacturing hub' for illicit fentanyl and precursor chemicals. Controls on the production and export of fentanyl have been strengthened in recent years to minimize its global impact.

Illegal fentanyl hidden in candy boxes. (Photo: Los Angeles Police Department (USA)).

Today, the prevalence of fentanyl and its derivatives is increasing in North America and is showing signs of spreading worldwide. Between 2012 and 2016, 17 fentanyl-class substances were reported to the UNODC by countries in East Asia, Europe and North America.

The equipment for producing drugs from fentanyl is easily available, cheap, and the production process does not require complex techniques, so this criminal group has become a major challenge for drug prevention and control work in countries.

How does Vietnam prevent drugs from fentanyl?

To prevent the illegal transportation, purchase, and use of fentanyl, Vietnam has included fentanyl in List II (narcotics restricted for use in analysis, testing, scientific research, criminal investigation, or in the medical field as prescribed by competent authorities) in Decree No. 73/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018 of the Government.

Fentanyl derivatives such as alfentanil, remifentanil, selfentanil, acetylfentanyl, butyrfentanyl, furanylfentanyl. are also regulated in the List of narcotic substances under Decree No. 73.

Currently, through the appraisal work, no fentanyl or its derivatives have been seized in Vietnam. However, with the market expansion of these drugs from the Americas to the Oceania region and spreading to Asia, the appearance of these drugs in the region and Vietnam is inevitable.

In addition, China is the world's leading source of chemicals and precursors used by criminals to produce fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, alongside India; therefore, it is predicted that fentanyl-like drugs will soon appear in the region and Vietnam.

Faced with the above situation, to prevent the danger of fentanyl, first of all, we need to strengthen propaganda for all people, especially teenagers, students, and pupils about the harmful effects of drugs; focus on new types of drugs; drugs 'disguised' in the form of food, drinks, cigarettes, herbs (weed), 'laughing gas'.; mobilize the masses to detect, report, and denounce promptly to the police force.

Coordinate with relevant agencies such as Customs, Market Management, Industry and Trade, Health, Agriculture and Rural Development to strengthen the inspection, detection and handling of goods such as food, beverages, cigarettes, and electronic cigarettes of unknown origin imported into Vietnam and the import, export, circulation, prescription and use of drugs containing fentanyl in treatment.

In the process of fighting drug crimes and through drug appraisal, pay attention to proactively detecting new drugs and new precursors appearing in the locality, especially new extremely toxic psychotropic substances such as fentanyl, to promptly prevent, investigate, and strictly handle them according to the provisions of law.