The report, released this Friday, indicates that of the total deaths, 53.3%, which is equivalent to 16 cases, occurred between 2021 and 2023, according to information from the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences.
“This situation is far from that of countries like the United States where there is a record of between 80,000 and 100,000 people a year who die from this type of consumption,” said the Vice Minister of Criminal Policy, Camilo Umaña, when explaining the document.
In 34.8% of fentanyl deaths in Colombia, it was found that there was the presence of other synthetic substances, mainly ketamine.
“The use and consumption of fentanyl in the country is not massive, but the Early Warning System (SAT) and public institutions in general are preparing for prevention and attention factors for this problem,” added Umaña.
The official added: “In Colombia there are no broad or massive consumption dynamics, nor any local production detected so far, but we do perceive that some vials aimed at the licit market are being diverted to the illicit market for the consumption of these substances.”
Fentanyl is listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a special medicine, approved in Colombia as an anesthetic and analgesic, especially for the management of pain in certain health conditions.
The report shows that between 2021 and 2022 there were 21 people who began treatment for fentanyl use disorders, most of them men between 27 and 40 years old.
To date, Colombian authorities have no information that there is production of fentanyl and analogues or the existence of clandestine laboratories for its synthesis in the country.
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