Why Fentanyl Is Killing So Many Americans
Samantha Aschieris /
Two milligrams. That’s all the fentanyl it takes to be potentially lethal to the average adult in America, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
It’s killing thousands of Americans, and it’s flooding into the country.
More than 107,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 70% of those deaths were due to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
Research on fentanyl shows that it can be 100 times more potent than morphine and 10 to 20 times more potent than heroin.
But it’s not just lethal. It’s extremely cheap. A single dose can cost about $2, according to some estimates.
So, who is responsible for this crisis plaguing our country?
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