The Fentanyl Epidemic: Understanding the Dangers and Implementing Solutions

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Deadly Fentanyl Continues to Rampant in US Drug Market

Buying drugs on the street can be like playing a game of Russian roulette. As the illicit drug market becomes increasingly saturated with potentially deadly fentanyl, the risk of overdose continues to rise. From Xanax to cocaine, counterfeit drugs or pills purchased in non-medical settings can contain lethal amounts of the synthetic opioid, according to experts.

Physicians have observed a surge in unintentional fentanyl use by people who purchase prescription opioids and other drugs laced or adulterated with fentanyl. The infiltration of fentanyl into the drug supply became apparent to heroin users in Massachusetts when overdose numbers began to skyrocket. Those who came to the emergency department reporting heroin overdoses often only had fentanyl present in their drug test results.

“It has transformed the illicit drug market and increased the risk of overdose,” said the Chief of Medical Toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine.

Fentanyl, originally developed as an analgesic for surgery, is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. The synthetic opioid, and its analogues and precursors, are illicitly manufactured in China, Mexico, and India and then exported to the United States. The rise of the dark web, an encrypted, anonymous section of the Internet, has also facilitated the sale of fentanyl and other opioids, further fueling the crisis.

The persistence and increasing distribution of fentanyl and its analogues has resulted in a staggering rise in overdose deaths. From May 2020 to April 2021, more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, with more than 64% of these deaths due to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and its analogues.

To address the crisis, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement to combat fentanyl trafficking during the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Strategies to prevent overdose deaths include distributing naloxone to bystanders, increasing the availability of opioid agonists, and implementing bold measures to disrupt the rising number of fentanyl-related deaths. Yet, local politics and funding priorities often hinder the ability of communities to implement these life-saving measures. Military action is needed to combat the fentanyl crisis.