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Over the past two decades, nearly one million people have died from drug overdoses, and in recent years, most of these deaths have been linked to dangerous synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It was first synthesized as an analgesic by Belgian chemist Paul Janssen in 1960 and proved to be a useful drug to help trauma patients.
But it was only in the last decade or so that drugs entered the black market and began to really destroy lives and communities across the United States.
of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 108,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States between February 2021 and February 2022. Over 70% of them involved fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
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One of the main drivers of fentanyl’s popularity in recent years is the cheaper method of production. While other plant-based drugs like heroin and cocaine have to be cultivated and cultivated, synthetic drugs like fentanyl are cheaper for both producers and consumers.
“[Heroin]production is expensive and time consuming because you have to use the actual poppies from the poppy fields. Fentanyl is a synthetic drug, so you can skip that process, which is much more advantageous.” A Los Angeles police officer and drug awareness expert told Fox News Digital. “Regular He 40-milligram OxyContin tablets are about $40. These illegal tablets, like M-30, are available for $10 or $15 per tablet.”
The expert requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
A police officer who has been in service for almost 20 years has seen the drug affect rich and poor alike.
“I feel like fentanyl affects everyone, because you have different forms,” the cop said. “There are people just using it in powder form. They’re smoking it out of foil, it’s Skid Row transients, and there’s famous celebrities like (rapper) Mac Miller and (MLB player) Tyler, who have enough money to buy their favorite drugs Mr. and Mrs. Skaggs, who are both unknowingly overdosing on fentanyl.”
Investigative journalist and author Ben Westhoff chronicled the rise of the fentanyl epidemic in his book.fentanyl company,It became a kind of supply-driven phenomenon, until dealers actually realized they could make more money by cutting other drugs with fentanyl.
“No one expected it to come. Partly it was simpler production methods. There were new production methods that were discovered,” Westhoff said.
Westhoff traces the modern crisis back to 2005. At this time, US lawmakers cracked down on methamphetamine in the US. The U.S. Senate has banned over-the-counter cold medicines containing the pseudo-ephedrine commonly used to make methamphetamine.
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Many of the remote meth laboratories scattered across the United States then moved to Mexico. According to Westhoff, these labs have evolved into “superlabs” that receive precursors directly from China, a relationship that continues today.
Today, the chemicals used to make fentanyl are sold almost entirely from China to Mexican drug cartels. The cartels then package fentanyl into other drugs such as Xanax and Adderall and ship them to the United States for sale on the black market. As a result, most Americans who die from fentanyl-related overdoses don’t even realize they’re consuming fentanyl.
One of those many victims was Thomas Olrik Jr., who died at the age of 28 from a fentanyl-related overdose. got his life back on track and enrolled in a rehab program.
“He started sharing and leading Heroin Anonymous meetings. knew him, he always lit up the room,” said Pratt-Weiss. .
Olrik was also a talented artist and was doing well financially, selling his work at festivals.
“He was painting these huge murals while the band was playing. People were watching him paint,” Pratweiss said.
But the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic made things worse for Olrik, who was prone to anxiety and panic attacks. He died of an overdose on his July 19th, 2021. Olrik’s autopsy report revealed he had Klonopin, a highly addictive drug used to treat panic attacks, and fentanyl in his system.
“The fact that klonopin and fentanyl were in his system indicated he was stressed, and he probably just wanted something to calm him down.” I don’t think he would have taken enough for his OD if he had known.”
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Olrik’s story could have happened to anyone. That’s why Prattweiss, who is now on a mission to educate the public about the dangers of fentanyl, says the drug is race, class and gender-agnostic.
“I have a friend whose daughter is fentanyl dependent and she literally went through hell trying to put her in rehab,” Prattweiss said. I just lost my twin daughters to fentanyl in October.”
Still, it is highly unlikely that the United States will ever be able to completely stop the influx of fentanyl into the country. I’m here. In some cases, local governments have even fallen behind in terms of funding.
“I think we’re definitely inadequate. We have to treat it like COVID, it’s a whole situation,” Westhoff said.
Despite the scarcity of resources, Westhoff and Pratt-Weiss agreed that educating the public would go a long way in addressing this problem.
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“Education is the key. People need to talk to their children. They need to tell them not to try anything. They need to scrutinize texts for children under 18 (and) these things “We need to educate our kids in the sense that antidepressants are even antidepressants, and can be laced,” Prattweiss said. I believed that it is very important now for people to get an education.”