Illegal fentanyl is appearing in New Zealand. This dangerous synthetic opioid is notorious for killing tens of thousands of people in the US every year. Here’s what fleet managers need to know about the risks and how to protect your workforce from the rise of fentanyl.
What is fentanyl and is it here?
Fentanyl can be obtained legally as a prescription drug, it’s a powerful pain medication, usually used for cancer treatment and traditionally absorbed through a transdermal patch.
Fentanyl is part of the opioid family, is extremely addictive, and is more potent than opium, heroin, or the ‘oxy’ group of drugs, like oxycontin or oxycodone. Illegally, it is commonly mixed or ‘cut’ into other drugs, without the user’s knowledge, to deliver a bigger ‘high’. In its pure form it’s incredibly potent, 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more than morphine.
TDDA has seen limited, positive testing for this substance in the past, entirely from medical prescriptions. The new cases in Wairarapa and in Palmerston North reflect something entirely different, and something businesses, especially those with fleets and drivers, need to heed. The consensus view is this is lab quality, illegally imported drug for street distribution.
How did illegitimate fentanyl find its way to New Zealand?
The truth is the drug market is not too different from any other commodity market. The illicit drug market is global, with labs reported to be in several countries such as Mexico, China and India. Experts note that fentanyl may be routed through Canada and the US, and seemingly now, to Australasia.
TDDA expects the emerging cases to be the tip of the iceberg, and expect more cases to emerge as the market for fentanyl develops.
Why do people illegally use fentanyl?
Drug dealers want to differentiate their products from other dealers, and to get users addicted fast. A few grains of fentanyl can be used to enhance other drugs like MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Many people won’t actively purchase fentanyl, but will have purchased it while obtaining a different substance.
To a naked or untrained eye, it’s impossible to tell if fentanyl has been added to a different drug. Many people take fentanyl without any knowledge.
What are the symptoms and are there any reasons to use fentanyl at work?
An employee on fentanyl should not work in a safety-sensitive area such as trucking or forestry.
Fentanyl slows down your heart and breathing rates, causes nausea, sedation, confusion and unconsciousness. Symptoms of addiction may include behavioural changes, rapid mood swings, confusion, paranoia, shallow breathing, anxiety, and depression. Plainly, you shouldn’t operate a truck while on fentanyl.
While prescription fentanyl is an effective pain relief, it’s open to abuse. If an employee has a legitimate prescription for the drug, it is strongly recommended that a Medical Review Officer (MRO) is consulted as part the workers employment.
Can you test for fentanyl in workplace drug tests?
TDDA is a member of the California Narcotic Officers Association (CNOA) and stays abreast of global drug trends. It has always believed that illegal fentanyl would arrive in New Zealand.
In 2018 TDDA added an ‘oxy strip’ to its normal urinalysis testing device based on the opioid crisis hitting Australia and the USA. If a test result indicates a drug is present, it does further lab tests for confirmation testing, and to find what exact substances are present.
Older testing technologies may not be able to detect opioids, fentanyl included, which poses a serious health and safety issue in the workplace. Drugs such as tramadol, fentanyl and benzodiazepines, which include alprazolam, triazolam and clonazepam, can cross-react with certain screening devices causing issues. Without modern technology your business may be at risk.
What’s the bottom line?
Companies should take opiates and drugs like fentanyl seriously. New Zealand may suffer from a similar opioid crisis that struck places like the US. Employers should start by ensuring their workplace substance use policy is up to date and covers prescription medications. It should also consider education and training for its managers and supervisors so they know the signs of drug use, addiction, and how to handle someone they suspect may have a substance use issue.
Lasty, hire a professional, accredited testing service. You can’t stop fentanyl if you can’t find it. And it goes without saying that your drug testing partner needs to be able to test for fentanyl with modern technology and procedures. The arrival of fentanyl marks the perfect time to revisit your substance use policy, double down on education and testing, and to better protect your employees and business reputation.
*Glenn Dobson is chief operating officer at The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA). This article appeared in the July edition of TransportTalk.
