Fentanyl Driving Overdose Deaths in America

Drug overdose deaths in the United States involving fentanyl-type drugs have increased from about 3,000 in 2000 to about 19,400 in 2016! The findings are not that surprising to researchers since these drugs are about 50-times more potent than heroin and nearly 100-times more powerful than morphine. Dr. Linda Richter from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse notes these findings “solidly confirm what front-line healthcare and law enforcement professionals in towns and cities across the country know from firsthand experience: deadly synthetic opioids like fentanyl are now the main drivers of drug overdose deaths in the United States.” Journal of the American Medical Association, May 2018