Marietta Police Warn Public Of Perils Of New Street Drugs

MARIETTA, GA -- Imagine going to a public restroom or vacant apartment or even renting a vehicle and coming into contact with something so potent that even touching it could cause overdose or deadly exposure. That's the scenario law enforcement agencies are dealing with as Georgia copes with a growing opioid drug epidemic.

The Marietta Police Department issued an advisory Monday afternoon alerting the public of the increasing dangers from an illicit drug trade that is spreading across the state with deadly consequences. The alert comes after several deaths in Georgia attributed to overdoses connected to the illicit use of street drugs sold under the guise of prescription drugs.

In a handful of the cases, Georgia agencies have identified the use of fentanyl, which is said to be 50 times more potent than heroin.

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"Fentanyl alone is so potent that merely touching or inhaling tiny amounts, as small as a grain of salt, can cause a person to suffer an immediate drug overdose," Marietta police said in a news release Monday. As if fentanyl weren't enough, authorities said carfentanil -- at 10,000 times more potent than morphine -- is being seen on the streets today as well.

Over a 48-hour period earlier this month, hospitals in several Georgia cities, including Centerville, Perry, Macon and Warner Robins, reported overdoses -- and fatalities related to street drugs taken under the pretense that they were prescription drugs.
Early reports indicate the culprit to be a street drug that the victims believed was Percocet.

What makes law enforcement's new message so urgent is that the risk of overdose now exists not only for those normally exposed to street drugs -- users, traffickers and addicts -- but for those not normally associated with drug culture.

"There is an increasing amount of fentanyl and carfentanil recently showing up across America and it is now causing concern that residue inadvertently left behind in places later accessed by the public may cause accidental exposures and potential overdoses of unsuspecting victims," the police said.

"Places like hotel rooms, rest rooms, vacant apartments, or rental vehicles containing Fentanyl residue creates a serious hazard for unsuspecting citizens or maintenance personnel who may accidentally touch or inhale it."

Read more: GBI Confirms Georgia's First 'Gray Death' Drug Fatality

Law enforcement is asking the public that if they encounter suspicious drugs, drug paraphernalia, or powder substances, do not touch or handle it but call 911.

Georgia has yet to have a case where someone not involved in the drug culture has been exposed to fentanyl. They want to keep it that way.

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