What's Worse for Users: Smoking Fentanyl or Injecting It?

Exploring the Modes of Fentanyl Administration

Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, has become a significant concern in the drug landscape. Its modes of administration, primarily smoking and injecting, are critical factors in understanding its impact on users. This article delves into the differences between these two methods, including the prevalence and associated health outcomes.

The Prevalence of Fentanyl Use Methods

In a comprehensive study conducted in California, researchers surveyed 999 drug users from syringe services programs to understand their fentanyl use patterns. The survey aimed to differentiate between smoking and injecting fentanyl and to quantify the prevalence of each method among the participants.

Smoking and Injecting Fentanyl

Among the respondents, 59% of users reported smoking fentanyl as their primary method of administration. Conversely, injecting fentanyl was another common mode of administration reported by 41% of participants.

The study went beyond just identifying the methods of use; it also analyzed the health risks associated with each mode of administration. Those who injected fentanyl were 40% more likely to experience a non-fatal overdose and 253% more likely to have skin and soft tissue infections compared to those who only smoked fentanyl. The average hospital stay was longer for injectors than for smokers.

However, the study did not address other drugs being added to the fentanyl supply that could cause more aggressive skin damage like Xylazine. I think that was an important aspect that was missed in the study.

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The Farce of Harm Reduction

The study concludes that smoking fentanyl presents lower health risks than injecting it, such as reduced rates of overdose and infections. The study also suggests that promoting safe smoking supplies could be beneficial in reducing health risks associated with fentanyl use.

To say that smoking fentanyl should be promoted over injecting is insane. There is no mention of people entering a program to get off of fentanyl in the first place, just promoting smoking fentanyl over injecting. For those of us that work with people using fentanyl, we know that they don’t care if they smoke it or inject it, they just want more of it.

The study was interesting in the aspect how many users smoke vs. inject and the injuries they sustain, but we need to stop the harm reduction fallacy. Those of us working the streets have seen the damage and know that the only way out of this is to stop supplying users with “safe smoking” implements and instead providing them with a bed in rehab.

What are Your Views?

The study provides insightful data on the smoking versus injecting behaviors of fentanyl users and the associated health risks. However, to truly address the fentanyl crisis, there must be a concerted shift in focus. The real solution lies in ending the cycle of addiction through comprehensive rehabilitation efforts, rather than perpetuating substance use under the guise of harm reduction. What are your thoughts?