What the Heck is Carfentanil—the Synthetic Opiod Used to Knock Out Elephants?

Have I been living under a rock? One of our Montana writers used the word "carfentanil" in a headline and I thought it was a typo, perhaps they meant to say "car fentanyl," but no. Turns out it's a thing.

Carfentanil is an extremely potent synthetic opioid — estimated to be 100 times stronger than fentanyl and 10,000 times more powerful than morphine. Originally developed as a tranquilizer for elephants and other large mammals, it has been increasingly detected in the illicit drug supply across the United States, including Wyoming.

Carfentanil is not common in a general sense, but its prevalence in the illicit drug supply is rapidly increasing, making it a growing public health threat.

The Wyoming Department of Health warns that users are often unaware they’re consuming synthetic opioi