What's in samples sold as fentanyl?

This graph shows what substances are detected in a drug sold as fentanyl, providing insights into how often the expected drug is present at all, by itself, and with specific other types of substances. "Expected" here refers to any fentanyl. All other substances are coded as major, minor, or other of interest, plus xylazine if present, as described in our drug coding. The purple-shaded sections on the right indicate that the "sold as" drug was present. Elements to the left shaded red provide details for samples where the expected drug was not detected.

Key substances

Below we present the share of samples reportedly sold as fentanyl (in any form) in which key substance categories were found. For more detailed information about when one subtance type was found with another, click here.

Data indicate different patterns of the presense of other analgesics (e.g. acetaminophen) and xylazine based upon the form of fentanyl i.e. pills versus powder.

Data notes

Drug testing sites can do little about potential cross-contamination: The container a client used may or may not have been used before. Therefore, any unusual combination may be due to cross-contamination and not represent drugs actually sold together. Results are cumulative. For more details on drug categories named above, click here.

What's in things sold as...