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WEBVTT MESSAGE WE ARE HEARING TONIGHT.MIKE TOM, THIS IS A TROUBLINGNEW REALITY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE'SDRUG EPIDEMIC THAT MANCHESTER, ONE FIREFIGHTERS ARE ON THEFRONT LINES OF IN A CITY THAT'SALREADY SEEN TWO OVERDOSES FROMTHIS DRUG.IT LOOKS LIKE FENTANYL BUT ISMORE DANGEROUS.IT'S USED TO TRANQUILIZE LARGEANIMALS LIKE ELEPHANTS.IT CAN BE DEADLY EVEN JUST BYTOUCHING IT.TONIGHT, WHAT'S BELIEVED TO BENEW ENGLAND'S FIRST CASES OFCARFENTANIL HAVE BEEN CONFIRMEDIN THE GRANITE STATE.>> ONE OF OUR BIGGEST FEARS WASWHEN CARFENTANIL WOULD MAKE ITSAPPEARANCE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. MIKE: STATE LEADERS ISSUING ANURGENT WARNING TODAY RIGHT AFTERLABORATORY TESTS SHOWED THE DRUGIS LINKED TO THREE DEATHTWO 35-YEAR-OLD MANCHESTER MENAND A 48-YEAR-OLD MEREDITH MANDIED LAST MONTH.>> UNFORTUNATELY TODAY'S THEFIRST DAY THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLETO CONFIRM THIS AND WORSE YET ITHINK WE ALL UNDERSTAND IT'SLIKELY NOT THE LAST DAY. MIKE: A SYNTHETIC OPIOID,CARFENTANIL CAN BE RESISTANT TONARCAN.IT IS 100 TIMES MORE POTENT THFENTANYL AND 5000 TIMES MOREPOTENT THAN HEROIN.IT'S A MAJOR RISK TO FIRSTRESPONDERS AND MEDICAL AND LABSTAFF BECAUSE IT COULD BEABSORBED THROUGH SKIN ORACCIDENTALLY INHALED.>> WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOPGUIDANCE SO THAT EMERGENCYRESPONDERS KNOW HOW TO APPROACHA SUBSTANCE IF THEY COME ACROSSIT IN THE COURSE OF THEIR WORK.MIKE: IT'S NOT CLEAR WHERE THEDRUG IS COMING FROM OR HOW MUCHIS ON THE STREETS.AUTHORITIES SAY ADDICTS MAY NOTEVEN KNOW THEY'RE TAKING IT.>> WE FELT IT WAS IMPERATIVE TOURGE CAUTION FOR THOSE THAT MAYCOME IN CONTACT WITH THISINCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE.MIKE: LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERALLAW ENFORCEMENT ARE WORKING ONTHE INVESTIGATION SIDE OF THISISSUE.ANYONE WHO MAY BE EXPOSED TOCARFENTANIL SHOULD GET MEDICALHELP IMMEDIATELY.MIKE CRONIN, WMUR NEWS 9.TO CARFENTINAL HAS BEEN LINKEDDEATHS ACROSS THE UNITED STATE14 STATES INCLUDING NEWHAMPSHIRE HAVE HAD DEADLYOVERDOSES DUE TO THE POTENTSYNTHETIC DRUG.

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A deadly synthetic drug powerful enough to tranquilize elephants has been linked to three overdose deaths in New Hampshire, marking one of its first confirmed appearances in New England. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday the drug carfentanil was the cause of deaths for two 35-year-old men in Manchester and a 48-year-old man in Meredith, all in March. "Unfortunately, today's the first day that we've been able to confirm this, and worse yet, I think we all understand it's likely not the last day," Sununu said. Carfentanil was created to tranquilize large animals and is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 5,000 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl was responsible for most of New Hampshire's 500 overdose deaths last year, state officials said. Officials said carfentanil can be deadly just by touching it. Worse still, it takes significantly more doses of Narcan to reversean overdose of carfentanil than other opioids. "One of our biggest fears was when carfentanil would make its appearance in New Hampshire, and unfortunately we're here today to talk about the fact that it happened," said Timothy Pifer, director of the state police forensics lab. Pifer said he's unaware of any other confirmed cases of the drug in New England. Carfentanil has been suspected but not confirmed in several Maine deaths, the Maine attorney general's office said. The drug has been linked to deaths in the Midwest, and the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a public warning about it in September. No arrests have been made linked to the New Hampshire deaths, but investigations into where the drug came from and who sold it are underway. Sununu was flanked by public health and safety officials as he urged caution for the public and law enforcement. Carfentanil is indistinguishable from heroin and fentanyl, and it's a major risk to first responders, medical and laboratory staff because some forms can be absorbed through the skin or accidentally inhaled. It's not clear where the drug is coming from or how much is on the streets. Authorities said users may not even know they're taking carfentanil. "We felt it was imperative to urge caution for those who may come in contact with this incredibly dangerous substance," Sununu said. New Hampshire's health commissioner, Jeff Meyers, said the state has more than 3,000 available kits of the overdose reversal drug Narcan. "We're going to develop guidance so that emergency responders know how to approach a substance if they come across it in the course of their work," Meyers said.