Fentanyl in Weed: Cautionary Tale or Urban Legend?

As if we needed another reason to be collectively cautious, recent news reports about fentanyl in weed have sent the world into a frenzy of worry. As a seasoned stoner, I heard these reports and thought they were nothing to worry about because I buy my weed from a dispensary, get it from a friend who grows marijuana, or grow it myself. Needless to say, fentanyl-laced weed was not even a blip on my radar. 

However, when three separate people in one week mentioned to me their concerns about fentanyl weed, I knew I needed to dig into the topic and see if it was fact or cap. Are people really adding a high-profit margin drug like fentanyl to a low-profit margin drug like cannabis?

In my mind, fentanyl is only added to things like heroin, molly, methamphetamines, or cocaine. Fentanyl-laced marijuana is baffling to me. Why would anyone want to do that to such a perfectly natural product?

When tokers buy their pot anywhere except a licensed and regulated dispensary, there is always an unknown variable. The guy you know that slings dime bags has no idea what is in his product or how potent it will be. He doesn’t know whether or not the person he got it from also deals with other substances. 

It is assumed that marijuana laced with fentanyl exists due to cross-contamination. If a dealer is cutting his other products with fentanyl and uses the same scale, table, or tools to bag up his weed, trace amounts of the deadly opiate could make their way into a bag of weed. Since it only takes 2mg - just a small grain - of this potent drug to cause a fatal overdose, weed laced with fentanyl is a big deal for people who buy their smoke on the black market.

There are a few sure-fire ways to make sure you are not smoking fentanyl in marijuana:

• Buy your weed from a legal dispensary. This is the only guaranteed way you will never get fentanyl marijuana.
• If you buy from the black market, make sure you use fentanyl test strips to test your pot.
• If wherever you are buying from will not permit testing, go somewhere else.
• Never purchase weed that smells or looks old or discolored. This can be an indication that someone has tampered with the marijuana.

That being said, teens who smoke weed and get their bud from a “friend” of a friend might not know about the dangers of fentanyl in weed. This is why it is important to talk to your kids about the dangers of ingesting unknown substances – and anything NOT purchased from a dispensary should always be considered questionable.

This fentanyl-laced weed situation is just another reason why the United States needs to legalize marijuana federally. Just my opinion, but the more legal dispensaries that open, the less fentanyl-laced weed on the streets. But that is a topic for another day. 

What are your thoughts on the fentanyl weed frenzy? Hit me up on social media, and let's talk about it!