homehome Home chatchat Notifications


America's opioid crisis could take a turn for the worse if fentanyl expands

A new report suggests that fentanyl has a lot of potential market growth in the western U.S.

Tibi Puiu
August 30, 2019 @ 6:47 pm

share Share

Pictured: a 2mg fatal dose of fentanyl. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

In 2018, more than 68,000 Americans were killed by prescription opioid painkillers and other drugs, particularly heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. That’s a kill rate higher than the peak annual deaths from car crashes, AIDS, or guns.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finally reported some good news — for the first time in three decades, the number of overdose fatalities has dropped, with 2018 experiencing a 5% decline compared to 2017. However, this decline may be extremely short-lived if fentanyl gets a wider grip on the country, a new report issued by RAND warns.

Fentanyl — widely considered the deadliest drug in America —  is a very powerful synthetic opioid that’s 50 to 100 times more concentrated than morphine. For a user with little tolerance to the drug, even less than a milligram of fentanyl can trigger an overdose.

Dealers often mix fentanyl with heroin to make it stronger and earn a fatter profit, as the former is also cheaper. Whenever fentanyl appears in an area, drug overdoses inevitably spike.

This has mostly happened in the Northeast and Midwest parts of the country. The fact that fentanyl is contained in certain regions sounds promising. However, it also suggests that it has a lot of room to grow, which is very concerning.

Vox reports that overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, went up from more than 29,000 in 2017 to nearly 32,000 in 2018 — and if drug trafficking networks in the west change tactics and suppliers to match those in the east, then the number of overdoses could skyrocket to depressingly high levels.

So, what to do? RAND says that policymakers must urgently innovate, especially in places where synthetic opioids are entrenched.

“New approaches to responding to the current crisis should be seriously considered (e.g., creatively disrupting online transactions; supervised consumption sites; novel, evidence-informed treatment modalities, such as heroin-assisted treatment; drug content testing). This is necessitated by the nature and scale of the challenge brought by synthetic opioids, which, in their current forms and methods of distribution, represent a departure from previous crises. Indeed, resolution of this crisis might require approaches or technologies that do not exist today,” the report outlines.

One possible innovation involves treating heroin addiction through special programs. The controversial measure would involve offering prescription heroin in a medically supervised setting to patients who use synthetic opioids. In the same line, the author of the report recommends setting up supervised consumption sites.

share Share

The Fat Around Your Thighs Might Be Affecting Your Mental Health

New research finds that where fat is stored—not just how much you have—might shape your mood.

Autism rates in the US just hit a record high of 1 in 31 children. Experts explain why it is happening

Autism rates show a steady increase but there is no simple explanation for a "supercomplex" reality.

Tooth loss is linked to cognitive decline, study in India shows

The connection between tooth loss and cognitive decline may surprise you.

Scientists Rediscover a Lost Piece of Female Anatomy That May Play a Crucial Role in Fertility

Scientists reexamine a forgotten structure near the ovary and discover surprising functions

Superbugs are the latest crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa

Researchers found an alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant infections among children.

Drug Regenerates Retina and Restores Vision in Blind Mice

A protein hidden in our eyes may be the reason we can't repair lost vison.

This Chewing Gum Can Destroy 95 Percent of Flu and Herpes Viruses

Viruses had enough fun in our mouths, it's time to wipe them out.

Here's why you should stop working out before bedtime

Even hours before bedtime, workouts can be a problem.

Researchers analyzed 10,000 studies and found cannabis could actually fight cancer

Scientists used AI to scan a huge number of papers and found cannabis gets a vote of confidence from science.

She Can Smell Parkinson’s—Now Scientists Are Turning It Into a Skin Swab

A super-smeller's gift could lead to an early, non-invasive Parkinson's test.