When a police officer seizes fentanyl during a traffic stop, that substance is logged, bagged, transported to an evidence room, and secured — typically within hours. Chain of custody is tight. Documentation is immediate. The window of vulnerability is measured in minutes.
When a paramedic wastes fentanyl after a cardiac arrest call, that same substance sits in a lock box on the rig. It might stay there for a shift. It might stay for a week. In many agencies, it stays for two to four weeks — until a licensed hauler makes a scheduled pickup.
The irony is stark: law enforcement handles seized narcotics with more urgency than EMS handles wasted ones. And yet the diversion risk in both settings is real. Read More >
