Carfentanil: 100 times stronger than fentanyl
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – A drug that was initially made to tranquilize animals like rhinos and elephants is now being seen in South Dakota. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than fentanyl.
'A lethal dose is about the size of a grain of salt,' Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said. 'Now it's made a resurgence and it's entering the U.S. once again, obviously extremely dangerous, very deadly, high risk of an overdose.'
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Milstead says even treatments like naloxone aren't guaranteed to work on someone who has ingested the drug.
'Things like naloxone or Narcan are less effective on carfentanil. It may take multiple doses at high rates and with not a likely good outcome. We hate to see it back, we haven't seen a lot of it. You know a couple of cases here,' Milstead said.
According to authorities, there has been one death this year in Minnehaha County related to carfentanil.
Prairie View Prevention Services is a local organization that works with young people to educate them on the dangers of drugs.
'I explained some of the side effects that we would see if someone were to be using it. A depressed respiratory system, losing consciousness and possibly death. And we see many more overdoses because of the potency and strength of that drug,' Prairie View Prevention Services founder Darcy Jensen said.
Authorities and outreach programs both encourage those battling addiction to seek help.
'We need the public to know that and understand it, because if they've got a family member that's experimenting with these drugs, they're likely going to die,' Milstead said.
'Reaching out for help it's not something that you should feel guilty about or shame. It's the courage that it takes to reach out,' Jensen said.
Prairie View Prevention Services offers free middle school meth education programming to all schools in South Dakota.
According to the CDC, it saw about a 27% decrease in predicted drug overdose deaths in 2024 compared to 2023 in the United States. However, it also reported South Dakota saw about a 2% increase in predicted drug overdose deaths, and was one of two states in the country that saw an increase between those same years.
In April, KELOLAND News spoke with the Omaha Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) about carfentanil.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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