US drug overdose deaths reach record levels: many did not even know they were taking fentanyl - ForumDaily
The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.
Переклад цього матеріалу українською мовою з російської було автоматично здійснено сервісом Google Translate, без подальшого редагування тексту.
Bu məqalə Google Translate servisi vasitəsi ilə avtomatik olaraq rus dilindən azərbaycan dilinə tərcümə olunmuşdur. Bundan sonra mətn redaktə edilməmişdir.

US drug overdose deaths hit record highs: many did not even know they were taking fentanyl

Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased use of fentanyl, the US drug epidemic exploded with renewed vigor as Americans were isolated. Writes about it CNN.

Photo: Shutterstock

Between May 2020 and April 2021, more than 100 people have died of drug overdose in the United States, according to preliminary figures released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It's a terrifying new record for drug overdose deaths—an increase of nearly 30% over the same period a year earlier and nearly doubling over the past five years.

The drug epidemic grew at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed about 509 people during the same period.

Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl (a pain reliever), 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, accounted for the bulk of drug overdose deaths: about 64.

“In a crisis of this magnitude, those already using drugs may take them in large quantities, and those in recovery may relapse. This is a phenomenon that we have seen,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Fentanyl enough to kill 333 million people

The US government has seized enough fentanyl this year to give every American a lethal dose, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Ann Milgram said. She called the overdose epidemic in the United States "a national crisis that knows no geographic boundaries and continues to worsen."

On the subject: UN has removed cannabis from the list of dangerous drugs

In September, illegal drugs often look like prescription pills available online and sold via social media, according to a warning from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

In September, the DEA announced more than 800 arrests and seizures of over 1,8 million tablets as part of a two-month audit.

The department noted that fentanyl had been seized in all states and issued an urgent warning about counterfeit prescription pills with the addition of the drug.

Even 2 milligrams can be lethal. Fentanyl is often found in counterfeit OxyContin, Percocetoma, or other drugs.

Who abuse and die

A lot of people. CNN estimates that about 2019 million Americans aged 10,1 and older abused opioids in 12, including 9,7 million prescription pain reliever abusers and 745 heroin users.

In Northern California, a 28-year-old man died after taking a fake pain reliever pill containing fentanyl. An 11-month-old baby was left unattended in North Carolina, who died of an overdose of fentanyl. Charges were brought against his mother and grandmother.

When searching on Google for specific deaths from fentanyl, there are many reports that it was not uncommon for young children to eat their parent's pills: in Southern California, the father of a 15-month-old is accused of death from toddler overdose. The mother of a one-year-old child in Alabama was arrested after an overdose of the baby.

In a suburb of Los Angeles, a teenager who bought what he believed to be prescription pain relievers from a friend died of fentanyl poisoning.

In Las Vegas, a 25-year-old woman who thought she was buying Percocet died after taking counterfeit fentanyl pills.

Where do they get drugs

There are at least a few stories of drug counterfeiting. A 27-year-old man is accused of selling fentanyl pills via Snapchat to a 32-year-old man who then died.

A 21-year-old woman, nicknamed Snapchat yungdrugaddict, was charged with second-degree murder for selling fentanyl pills that killed a woman of the same age.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

In a October 7 statement to its website, Snapchat claims it is improving its work with law enforcement and using artificial intelligence and community reporting to identify and remove drug dealers from the platform.

How fentanyl gets to the USA

The chemicals used to make drugs are often shipped from China to the United States or Mexico to be produced by drug cartels in Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States.

The drug may arrive in small mailings weighing less than a kilogram.

The Chinese government's crackdown on fentanyl has slowed the method. India is another US source of this enzyme.

Fentanyl is mixed with other illicit drugs to increase the effectiveness of drugs and is sold as powders and nasal sprays, although most often it is compressed into tablets that look like legal prescription opioids. Due to a lack of official oversight or quality control, these fake pills often contain lethal doses of fentanyl, but do not contain the promised drugs.

What US President Joe Biden is doing

The administration has committed $ 4 billion in COVID-19 assistance to tackle overdose deaths, including expanding services to treat substance use disorders.

Biden told reporters that the administration is "working to make health insurance more affordable for all Americans so that more people who need medical care can get it."

Read also on ForumDaily:

Top states with lowest and highest life expectancy

Asset or money: what is cryptocurrency and how safe is it

Interesting facts about driving a car in the USA: the experience of an immigrant

Murder, bankruptcy and debt: scary stories of lottery winners

A man ate junk food for a month: how it affected his health

Punishment cannot be pardoned: the strangest laws in every US state

In the U.S. USA drugs
Subscribe to ForumDaily on Google News

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis. 



 
1071 requests in 1,143 seconds.