Prince’s Fentanyl Toxicity Levels Caused Death, Death Certificate Reveals Dangers Of Opioid Fentanyl Painkillers
Officials have confirmed Prince’s fentanyl dosage killed him in a report released six weeks after his death. Opioid fentanyl is an extremely powerful painkiller that makes heroin look puny. It is often used to treat situations of extreme pain, but it is tightly regulated due to its potential dangers.
It’s still unclear whether Prince used fentanyl provided by a medical professional or if he obtained it by illegal means. In any case, authorities are searching for the supplier. Most fentanyl is illegally administered due to tight restrictions by the FDA. Fentanyl belongs to a class of medications known as opioids, powerful painkillers that can cause more issues than they solve. Fentanyl is the most powerful of the opioids. The drug is usually used in advanced stage cancer patients or by patients who just underwent surgery.
Man who found Prince: “Believe me, nothing can prepare” you for the chaos of that moment https://t.co/KVcP2WaAbG pic.twitter.com/uB6YbTsIRw
— CNN (@CNN) June 3, 2016
Deaths from fentanyl toxicity are at an epidemic level in the United States. A Reuters report spoke about its incredible potency.
“The most potent narcotic known, it is a man-made opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more so than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website. The agency says illegally manufactured non-pharmaceutical fentanyl, and related overdoses, are a rising problem.”
Prince’s death certificate states fentanyl toxicity as the cause of death. Prince is believed to have started using painkillers due to hip and knee pain. Prince’s long-time associate Sheila E says Prince had chronic pain from years of wearing high heels during performances that included jumping from speakers and stages.
The man who was sent to Prince’s mansion with a treatment for opioid use eventually ended up calling 911. He wrote about the scope of the opioid epidemic for CNN.
“Right now, we need medical interventions for opioid dependence and addiction more than ever, because in the U.S. we’re losing 28,000 people every year — a number that would average out to 77 people daily — to opioid overdoses.”
As for why such a notoriously dangerous substance could wind up killing a pop superstar, Burt Kahn, an attorney who deals with medical negligence, told Reuters that any doctor involved in giving Prince fentanyl may wind up facing severe legal consequences.
“Fentanyl is a drug that would almost never be prescribed to a patient like Prince who doesn’t have terminal cancer, because the potential for overdose is extremely high.”
Over time the body can build up resistance to opioids. If higher dosages are administered, it can lead to the drug’s toxicity harming the body. The death certificate reveals that Prince self-administered the drug, so the dosage he took may not have been under the guidance of a medical professional.
Prince died of drug overdose, official says https://t.co/9hgnBWdZBF pic.twitter.com/GNe5H6D048
— Variety (@Variety) June 3, 2016
As Newsday reports, if someone is found to have been illegally supplying Prince with the medicine, they could face a prolonged prison sentence.
“Illegally distributing fentanyl to someone who then dies from it is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years under federal law. Under Minnesota law, the same actions can result in third-degree murder charges and up to 25 years in prison.”
Since Prince’s death on April 21 at his home and studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, the world has been mourning the untimely passing of one of the greatest pop musicians ever. Prince still has a vault of unreleased music at his Paisley Park home that is rumored to contain enough music yet unheard by the public to fill radio waves and nightclubs for decades. His family is still battling legally to determine the fate of his estate and the music vault.
Prince would have turned 58 next week, and fans will be holding major celebrations both in his hometown of Minneapolis and around the country. Prince’s fentanyl tragedy also forces the country to stop and realize how serious the painkiller addiction problem truly is.
[Photo by George De Sota/Liaison]
