Fentanyl Deadly, But Cheaper

(Winter 2016) Why is life-threatening fentanyl being cut into popular drugs such as heroin? The answer is simple economics. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are both warning users of illegal drugs that cartels are adding fentanyl as filler in heroin and fake OxyContin® pills because it is less expensive to manufacture. Instead of taking the time to harvest poppies and produce heroin, illegal drug makers are simply getting chemicals from China. In September alone, over 70 pounds of fentanyl and more than 6,000 counterfeit painkiller pills have been taken off U.S. streets by authorities.

The effect of fentanyl is widespread, felt both close to home and across national borders. For example, Ohio’s use of the life-saving, opioid-overdose reversal drug naloxone has jumped from over 12,000 doses in 2013 to near 20,000 doses in 2015, with fentanyl being a likely culprit for a portion of that spike. To the north, Canada is seeing its highest numbers of overdoses to date, along with record seizures of non-prescription fentanyl. There, the drug is masquerading as Percocet® and OxyContin®, and it is also being mixed with Canadian supplies of cocaine and heroin.

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