Synthetic opioids’ increased availability on the black market poses a threat to worsen the opioid overdose epidemic now raging in the United States. New synthetic opioids are evolving, being abused, and being trafficked, all of which pose serious risks to public safety.
A POWERFUL NEW OPIOD HAS MADE IT’S WAY TO COLORADO
A new deadly narcotic has surfaced in Colorado. “Pyro” (N-pyrrolidino Etonitazene) has already claimed the lives of at least one Denver resident. Pyro is a highly potent synthetic opioid having a chemical structure similar to that of the synthetic opioid Etonitazene, which is a restricted narcotic.
According to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Pyro has flecks of a darker blue color all over it and is almost identical in look to Fentanyl the counterfeit and deadly version of Percocet (M30’s). Replicating the image of both fentanyl and M 30’s – Pyro is branded on one side with an “M”, and on the other, a “30”.
EVEN MORE POWERFUL THAN FENTANYL
The drug is anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 times more powerful than morphine, and 10 times more powerful than Fentanyl. Fentanyl, for reference, is about 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Pyro, unlike Etonitazene and it’s relative Fentanyl, does not exist in any earlier medical literature or patents, according to the Center for Forensic Science Research, & Education. It is a brand-new medicine with a distinct mechanism of action that was probably developed outside of the influence of the American pharmaceutical industry. According to a report by the CFSRE, in just two years, at least 21 fatalities have been related to the substance, and up to 44 fatalities may be attributable to Pyro use.
OVERDOSE AWARENESS
A Pyro overdose resembles the majority of other opioid overdoses almost exactly, with respiratory depression being the most common fatal symptom. Fortunately, the drug responds to Naloxone, and if the poison is immediately neutralized, the devastating effects of an overdose can be avoided.
For more information on Narcan and overdose education, please visit the Narcan website.
If you come across PYRO, please contact law enforcement immediately. You can also report drug-related crimes anonymously to Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
