Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Fentanyl in the US: A visual guide
Recently, the US has been facing a severe fentanyl crisis with thousands of overdose deaths annually, surpassing deaths from car accidents and gun violence. What is fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Like morphine, it is a medicine that is typically used to treat patients with severe pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat patients with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to other opioids. When prescribed by a doctor, fentanyl can be given as a shot, a patch to put on a person’s skin, or as lozenges like cough drops. Fentanyl is also sold illegally as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays, or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids. When people overdose on fentanyl, their breathing can slow or stop, which decreases the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain and could lead to a coma, permanent brain damage, and even death. How do Americans get fentanyl without a prescription? Who are the suppliers and distributors?
Read the article and learn about the supply chain of this fatal opioid.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/08/health/fentanyl-drug-us-explained-dg/index.html
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