The Wall Street Journal takes a closer look at the synthetic opioid fentanyl that is driving overdose deaths to record numbers across the country, finding that it has infiltrated every channel of the illicit drug supply and is more toxic than ever. The super powerful legal medication has become the dominant substance for opioid users craving a fix; it's killing users who seek it out to fuel a rising tolerance to prescription painkillers or heroin, as well as those who didn’t know they were taking it. Illicit drugs are deadlier than ever because of fentanyl’s pervasiveness and its mixture into a host of substances as dealers cut the drug into cocaine as well as tainted pills made to look like common medications such as Adderall, and even marijuana. Even though prescriptions for legal painkillers that started the opioid crisis in the first place have fallen by 44 percent over the past eight years to 2020, opioid-related overdose deaths nearly tripled in the same time span, reaching 82,000 out of the 108,000 overall fatalities last year. The drug is so strong that a tiny bit of it can kill, and users often have no idea they’re ingesting it, which makes it more difficult to administer overdose reversal medications. What’s more, the infiltration of fentanyl into the drug supply for cocaine and other stimulants has led to an increase in overdose deaths among Black people. In one country in Ohio alone, where cocaine and crack are still prevalent, deaths rose by nearly 30 percent. The drug is primarily produced in Mexico, after China cracked down on suppliers, and is then adulterated by dealers here to provide an extra kick to users or to hook them more intensely. Drug enforcement officials have stepped up seizures of the drug, but more must be done to halt the flow of fentanyl into the country as part of a comprehensive anti-drug strategy that also includes harm reduction and most importantly, easier access to treatment.
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Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies