Report: Massachusetts Had 2nd Highest Seizure of Fentanyl

BOSTON (AP) _ Massachusetts had the second highest number of seizures of the powerful narcotic fentanyl of any state in the country in 2014.

That's according to a new study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Drug Enforcement Administration looking at increases in fentanyl confiscations and overdose fatalities related to the drug.

Fentanyl is a synthetic and short-acting opioid analgesic and is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. It's sometimes mixed with heroin or cocaine.

The report found there were 630 reported seizures of the drug in Massachusetts last year, second only to Ohio with more than 1,200.

Attorney General Maura Healey is pushing a bill that would create the new state crime of trafficking in fentanyl for amounts greater than 10 grams.

The House has approved the bill.