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accessHealthNews.net
February 2022
Volume 8 | Issue No. 54
A
few grains of salt. That's the amount of
fentanyl it takes to cause a fatal overdose.
In recent years, fentanyl has infiltrated drug
supplies, posing a lethal danger to longtime and
casual users alike. Many users are unaware that
they are receiving drugs cut with fentanyl or, in
some cases, only fentanyl, which increases the
risk of an overdose.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80-100 times
stronger than morphine, initially developed
for cancer patients to manage pain. Cheap,
potent, and easily accessible, fentanyl is used to
cut drugs like cocaine, heroin, and pressed pills
to maximize profitability and boost potency. In
addition, some users abuse fentanyl on its own
because of its intense effects.
THE RISE OF FENTANYL
The
latest data from the CDC reported record
high drug-related deaths. In a 12-month period
concluding at the end of April 2021, 100,306
deaths were reported, a 28.5% increase from the
same time period a year earlier with 64% of those
deaths caused by fentanyl. Recent data also
shows that overall overdose deaths in Missouri
increased by nearly 20% during the same time
period.
Experts say fentanyl is to blame for the vast
increase in fatal drug overdoses, and the
COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated
the opioid crisis. "What COVID has done is it
has increased our social isolation," said Sarah
Evans of the International Harm Reduction
Development for
Open Society Foundations
in an
interview with KCUR 89.3. "We know that
people who use drugs are more likely to use
them in isolation and less likely to be able to
access key resources that would help them,
like overdose reversal medication, and that has
exacerbated the situation."
CDC researchers found that 13% of people
surveyed began using drugs during the
pandemic or increased their use. With
international travel limited due to the pandemic,
synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are easier
to manufacture and easier to smuggle across
borders. According to
Drug Enforcement
Administration Administrator Anne Milgram, the
U.S. government seized enough fentanyl in 2021
to give every American a lethal dose.
Because of its powerful opioid properties,
fentanyl is considered highly addictive. Similar to
other opioid drugs, such as heroin and morphine,
fentanyl works by binding to the body's opioid
receptors, which are in the parts of the brain that
control pain and emotions. Opioid drugs bind to
these receptors, increasing dopamine levels in
the brain's reward areas, producing a state of
euphoria and relaxation.
"It's rare to find people who only overdose on cocaine or who only
overdose on methamphetamines.Fentanyl is being used to lace the
illicit drug market because it's very profitable."
