Colorado AG, law enforcement leaders call for stiffer criminal penalties as fentanyl deaths...

I find the law passed by the Colorado Legislature extremely irresponsible. When I gave fentanyl as an anesthetic adjunct we gave the drug in micrograms. 1 cc of fentanyl was 50 mcg and to provide anesthesia for a patient to wake up pain free you might give 150 to 250 mcg for a large hernia repair. We send to provide anesthesia for major abdominal surgery using moderate dose fentanyl giving 20cc, a quarter of the legal possession. We would do open heart surgery using high dose fentanyl 50 to100 cc. THIS NEXT PART IS A WARNING. Fentanyl and is highly addictive and you quickly build up a tolerance. Fentanyl has a biphasic action. You under go the euphoria of the initial injection and it wears off in about an hour as the fentanyl is metabolized and absorbed into tissue, especially the highly vascular lung tissue. After about 3 or 4 hours Fentanyl remobilizes and blood levels rise. Many addicts re-inject as sequestered drugs are remobilizing leading to overdoses. Allowing that level of drugs to be carried is beyond criminal.