Fentanyl - Consequences

Consequences

Fentanyl is a highly addictive substance that is illegal and difficult to obtain without a prescription. Street users face the possibility of arrest and the potential of overdosing, especially on poorly produced analogs. They are also confronted with the ever-present reality of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Users who inject fentanyl run the risk of contracting acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if they share dirty needles with other addicts. The short span of fentanyl's high in the body causes some users to take as many as four doses a day. Medical staff caught using fentanyl illegally often lose their jobs after many years of study and hard work.

Despite withdrawal symptoms and the higher possibility of suffocation, fentanyl users experience little organ damage when using the drug. But the need for the substance alters lifestyles and can lead to health problems. Users might engage in risky sexual behavior in exchange for money or drugs. They may resort to burglary or theft to support a habit. They may neglect such basic bodily needs as eating and sleeping. Eventually their health suffers.

With so many valid medical uses, it is unlikely that fentanyl will be withdrawn from the legal medical market. The federal government and the private medical community will continue to work together to try to keep the drug out of the hands of those who do not need it for treatment of serious pain.

Legal Notes

Fentanyl substances can be either Schedule I controlled substances (fentanyl analogs, manufactured illegally), or Schedule II controlled substances (pharmaceuticals carefully controlled by doctors and the Drug Enforcement Administration). The harsher penalties are associated with the analogs because pharmaceutical companies do not manufacture them. However, anyone caught trying to sell or distribute either pharmaceutical fentanyl or fentanyl analogs can be prosecuted for a criminal offense. Any doctor who writes a prescription for fentanyl and gives it to someone who does not need it for severe pain can face criminal prosecution.