Fentanyl, a pervasive synthetic opioid in America’s illicit drug supply, is increasingly being used by teens across the country, raising concerns among providers and law enforcement. Illicit fentanyl from abroad is considered one of the most damaging weapons used against the homeland, destroying lives and families. Overdoses involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the leading cause of death among young Americans and a threat to U.S. public health.
The U.S. government has been unable to adopt coordinated intelligence-sharing efforts to address the crisis, instead blaming each other for the origin of the crisis. Drug overdose deaths among teens and young adults have nearly doubled since 2019, with concerns about counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl being sold via social media. Teen overdose deaths have never been higher in the US as young Americans are increasingly poisoned by the synthetic opiate fentanyl, even as fewer people are using it.
China remains the primary source of fentanyl overdoses, with three more people indicted in connection with the fatal fentanyl overdose of a 19-year-old in Jefferson County, Missouri. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and is prescribed to reduce extreme pain. Drug policy experts and people living with addiction say that the magnitude of this calamity now eclipses every previous drug epidemic, from crack cocaine to fentanyl.
In 2017, 49000 Americans lost their lives to fentanyl. Three defendants were sentenced to a combined 35 years in federal prison for their roles in the drug conspiracy that claimed the lives of three teenagers.
📹 Fentanyl: Why are so many Americans dying from synthetic opioids? – BBC News
Fentanyl is a potent and highly addictive synthetic opioid, approved for use in the US in the 1960s. Today, Fentanyl is involved in …
📹 How fentanyl kills: A CBC News explainer
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A while back, On a busy dinner shift, I was sharing a big party with a co worker. I noticed he was gone for a long time. So I started asking the staff if they had seen him. We all knew he was somewhat addicted to opioids, but we didn’t think he would get high at work. 10 minutes After asking around, we noticed the bathroom door was locked, but no one would answer. The door could only be locked from the inside. One of the staff members took a power tool, and cut through the lock, and there he was. On the floor. Face looked like it was starting to look blue. I’ve never seen this in my life, so I don’t know what to do except to call his name, and remind him to breathe. We got him out of the bathroom, and carefully held his head so his neck wouldn’t break. Soon enough the paramedics got there, and confirmed that he was having an overdose. As they were bringing him out with a sheet through a small stair space by the kitchen I saw the paramedics use narcan on him, and he immediately woke up. As if he was stuck in time. Luckily for him ge survived that night, but got fired. Months passed by and l get a phone call from a random number. I never pick those calls up, but for some reason I can’t explain. I picked it up. And it was him. Thanking me for helping out. It was truly heartbreaking. He said he was gonna try to get Better. Recently I heard he overdosed again. Not sure if that true or not, but that’s a damn shame.
I have been been on fentanyl patches for 13 years prescribed by my doctor after two failed spinal surgeries because of chronic severe disabling pain and now that i want off it, it has become a nightmare just titration down from 100mcg patch to 75mcg the withdrawals are horrendous I curse the day I was put on the medication 😢😢
If governments hadn’t had the hubris to feel they had the authority to tell citizens in a free society that recreational drugs were forbidden, there could be a whole range of safe recreational drugs available. But, no, governments have felt they do have such authority and, as a result, dangerous recreational drugs become available on the black market.
the problem for me is those who recklessly want to use this drug, are themselves causing innocent people to become exposed, like law enforement, kids etc, and creating a market drug sellers to spring up in places around people or kids that can cause mass exposure and multiple deaths, like the story with a childcare center that was exposed to fetanyl.
Ik ppl that smoke pills and they look the same and do got problems tho I think it just how you take it and control there addiction like frfr. But I’m trying to stop I had a homie overdose on me and it was very hard and sad and do to losing my family I been thru a lot and I just know I mess up by taking this pills it just sad but I just gotta stay strong ❤😇👼 LLD#