Louisville officials brace for overdoses from people using elephant tranquilizer [View all]

A dangerous street drug — an elephant tranquilizer never intended for humans — already has killed at least one person in Louisville.

That's one confirmed death.

Police, EMS and health officials are bracing for more.

"It's obviously a major concern because it is so deadly," said Officer Erik Velten, safety coordinator for Louisville Metro Police and a former EMT.

It's difficult to say how many people have been killed by carfentanil — a synthetic opioid 10,000 times more potent than morphine — here because routine toxicology tests don't detect it.

Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2017/04/05/louisville-officials-brace-overdoses-people-using-elephant-tranquilizer/99875660/