The synthetic opioid fentanyl is a killer—more powerful than heroin—and a drug that, until recently, those with substance use disorder tried to avoid as it was increasingly found in illicit drugs that dealers contaminated, leading to a staggering rise in overdose fatalities. Now, however, users are seeking out this once hidden killer and intentionally using it to get high. Many experts say users have become so tolerant of drugs like heroin that they are turning to fentanyl, a worrying trend that could lead to even more deaths. In medical settings, fentanyl is used to treat severe pain in patients, but a decade ago fentanyl made its way into the illicit drug supply, and also as counterfeit versions of prescription drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, and prescription drugs like oxycontin. By 2021, fentanyl was involved in the vast majority of overdose deaths. Today, users are even smoking fentanyl, which some say could become the norm and eventually increase use. While a fentanyl-related overdose can be reversed with overdose reversal medications, the high potency of the drug means that more medication is needed, but isn’t always on hand. This new development in the ongoing opioid epidemic points once again to the need for federal leadership and action to address every aspect of the crisis—sooner, rather than later.
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Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies