However, the most recent cases of fentanyl overdose are related to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which is distributed by dealers, thanks to its effects similar to those of heroin, the drug with which it is often mixed.
Deaths from this drug
In the United States, between 2020 and 2021, opioid overdose-related deaths increased 17%, from 69,000 to 81,000. Of those deaths, 71,238 are related to synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that the number of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2020 is 18 times the number in 2013.
“The increase in overdose deaths highlights the need to ensure that those most at risk of overdose can access care, as well as the need to scale up prevention and response activities,” the CDC says.
On March 29, a naloxone-based medicine that can be sold without a prescription, with which the US government intends to strengthen its fight against the opioid overdose crisis.
How did you get to this country?
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) points out that Mexican cartels buy chemical precursors in China to make fentanyl, up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, and take them to Mexico.
The Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel distribute most of the illegal fentanyl and dispute smuggling routes and control of the drug in Mexico and the United States, indicates the Wilson Center report.
US authorities say Dominican traffickers are the main suppliers to end-consumers in the Northeastern United States, though Mexican trafficking networks play an important role.
With information from EFE and Reuters