Illicit fentanyl, manufactured in foreign countries…is a rising factor in the current overdose epidemic

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Pharmaciststeve

DEA: Fentanyl-related overdose deaths rising at an alarming rate

http://www.wfmj.com/story/33949303/dea-fentanyl-related-overdose-deaths-rising-at-an-alarming-rate

The DEA can’t/won’t go after the ILLICIT IMPORTED SYNTHETIC DRUG MARKET… they even LUMP all “drug poisonings” into a larger group of OD deaths… and they won’t/can’t separate deaths from pharmaceutical opiates and other ILLEGAL OPIATES…  Opiate prescriptions peaked in 2012 and have been dropping ever since… by some 25%… yet OD’s continue to rise. The Surgeon General recently stated that ADDICTION is a “brain disease”…but the DEA continues to treat it as a CRIME… and those prescribers who write opiate prescriptions as CRIMINALS.  Today TRUMP said that FOUR BILLION was TOO MUCH MONEY for two new Air Force One’s…  How do we get him to look at the 51 BILLION/YR that we spend on the war on drugs… to make criminals out of people who are suffering from a chronic brain disease or who have turned to the street because their prescribers have “cut them off” ?

WASHINGTON – Approximately 129 people died every day in 2014 as a result of drug poisoning and nearly two-thirds of them are pharmaceutical opioid or heroin related, according to a report from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment details the extent to which illicit drugs are affecting the United States.

The report sheds light on the nationwide opioid epidemic, which is fueling a growing heroin user population and resulting in a greater amount of overdoses.

The opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by the national reemergence of fentanyl – a synthetic opioid which is much more potent than heroin, according to the findings.

Fentanyl’s strong opioid properties have made it an attractive drug of abuse. Illicit fentanyl, manufactured in foreign countries and then smuggled into the United States, is a rising factor in the current overdose epidemic. It is usually mixed into heroin products or pressed into counterfeit prescription pills, sometimes without the users’ awareness, which often leads to overdose.

The rise in overdose deaths also coincides with the arrival of carfentanil, a fentanyl-related compound, in America’s illicit drug markets. Carfentanil is approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

The DEA says that the presence of carfentanil in illicit U.S. drug markets is cause for concern, as the relative strength of this drug could lead to an increase in overdoses and overdose-related deaths, even among opioid-tolerant users.

“Sadly, this report reconfirms that opioids such as heroin and fentanyl – and diverted prescription pain pills – are killing people in this country at a horrifying rate,” said Acting Administrator Rosenberg “We face a public health crisis of historic proportions. Countering it requires a comprehensive approach that includes law enforcement, education, and treatment.”

The 2016 NDTA also found that Mexican transnational criminal organizations continue to act as the biggest criminal drug threat to the United States and are the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

These groups are responsible for much of the extreme violence seen in recent years in Mexico, as they have continually battled for control of territory. Within the U.S., violent gangs affiliated with these drug trafficking organizations are a significant threat to the safety and security of our communities.

The gangs receive deadly drugs like heroin from regional cartel affiliates and then supply them to American communities for profit, regardless of the human cost.

While the DEA found evidence of a slight decline in the abuse levels of controlled prescription drugs, data indicates an increase in the seizure of counterfeit prescription drugs, many of which contain the extremely potent substance fentanyl.

Heroin overdose deaths are high across the United States, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Nationally, overdose deaths more than tripled between 2010 and 2014, with the most recent available data reporting 10,574 people in the United States died in 2014 from heroin overdoses.

Deaths in the “synthetic opioids” category rose 79% from 3,097 in 2013 to 5,544 in 2014. While other opioids are included in this category, public health officials maintain that fentanyl is contributing to most of this increase. Fentanyl is sometimes added to heroin batches, or mixed with other adulterants and sold as counterfeit heroin, unknown to the user.

Methamphetamine continues to be readily available throughout the United States, and methamphetamine distribution and use continues to contribute to violent and property crime in the United States.

Cocaine availability and use in the United States increased across multiple fronts between 2014 and 2015 and is likely to continue increasing in the near term. Colombia will remain the primary source of supply for cocaine in the United States, and elevated levels of coca cultivation, potential pure cocaine production, and north-bound movement indicate more cocaine is available for traffickers who want to attempt to re-invigorate the U.S. cocaine market.

The National Drug Threat Assessment provides a yearly assessment of the many challenges local communities face related to drug abuse and drug trafficking. Highlights in the report include usage and trafficking trends for drugs such as heroin, prescription drugs, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and the hundreds of synthetic drugs.

 
 
 

Filed under: General Problems

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3 Responses

  1. John, on June 4, 2018 at 5:07 pm said:

    Apparently, the government in all its infinite wisdom seems to believe that taking away prescription opioids from every single decent human being…

    [Due, in part, to a very small number of either “patient”-dealers that took advantage of the medical industry’s attempt to treat pain more compassionately, or Due to an even smaller number of patients that sadly had to choose to break the law and their doctor’s trust in order to buy food, pay for other needed meds, pay the rent, and to buy heating fuel etc.]

    …is the best way to end addiction, diversion, overdoses (especially in opioid naive people. e.g. the teen that wants to experiment with grandma’s opioid for her painfully life altering rheumatoid arthritis or the new/naive patient whose doctor forgets to mention the pills will not alleviate ALL of the pain no matter how many they take at once etc.), and to lead society into the dawn of a new age where everyone will stop seeking a way to escape their pain and suffering? Seriously?

    [The premise, (granted it’s from my POV), is entirely without merit and utterly illogical which makes me wonder… what on god’s green earth, is their actual agenda?]

    Well, I’ll be damned!! … it hasn’t worked! In fact, their knee-jerk reaction (some call it that but in reality the recent attack on subjective illnesses has been thoughtfully well planned out for many years), has ONLY added fuel to the fire! It has also resulted in exponentially more harm to addicts, social users, and people with chronic intractable malignant and nonmalignant pain!

    Overdoses continue to rise, suicide due to pain has grown exponentially, and the influx of illicit narcotics is flourishing as if we’re back in the days of our government’s faux pas aka NAFTA, Pablo Escobar, and the Cali Caretel!

    Seems to me that IF the government really wanted to abate the abuse of illicit narcotics and legitimate prescription medications they would give some thought and attention to the underlying causes… other than how people are buying them or where they are coming from.

    Most people understand that the excessive use and abuse of drugs is usually driven by factors such as depression, poverty, social environment factors, and even under treated pain.

    But, many others simply don’t understand that drug abuse (continues) occurs in some people because it is a brain chemistry disorder. It grabs a hold of the person in a way where it feels like a biological imperative. As if their body’s homeostasis depends entirely on consuming external molecules that opioids and other drugs offer. It’s NOT a moral failing.

    Anyway, again, IF our government really wanted to abate the suffering they would address the underlying causes by affording people MORE opportunities such as free undergraduate degrees, larger monthly disability payments so that people could actually afford to live and exist beyond paying only their most basic expenses, they would offer automatic rent reductions as soon as someone must go on disability and basically do MORE to lift people out of poverty. All anyone wants is to be okay, to have a stable roof over their heads and to actually enjoy life from time to time.

    It’s beyond time for our government to withdraw the perverted laws that came about due to a supposedly well intended set of prescribing guidelines meant ONLY for general practitioners and to stop the DEA’s overreaching! Spend billions on going after the cartel and not our doctors! And help people to live a better quality of life!

    Sorry this post of mine is so long. I hope I did okay explaining my POV. Thanks for the opportunity to reply!

    Reply
  2. Sandra, on December 8, 2016 at 9:42 am said:

    The DEA needs to go back an do their job. Stop the drugs coming in to this country. ,! What is wrong with them. They are not doctors. What is happening in this country. We are a laughing stock of other country’s

    Reply
  3. connie, on December 7, 2016 at 6:20 pm said:

    So nearly two-thirds of drug poisoning deaths are due to pharmaceutical opioids and heroin, what percentage of those are heroin? I am so sick of the two being put in one lump that I could chew nails and spit tacks!
    I also want to thank Steve and the rest of you for the warning of how difficult it is to get prescriptions for pain meds filled! My hubby has to go to M D ANDERSON cancer center in Houston for tests and this year the dates happen to fall over the day for my refill of dilaudid and oxycontin. Usually this is not a problem as I just take my written prescription with and fill it there. After hearing the nightmare stories I thought to call and make certain. Kroger which is the same as where I get mine filled told me in a very nasty tone that they DO NOT STOCK THOSE DRUGS and had no idea where I could fill them! I called my local pharmacy and my insurance company and hopefully have it fixed to fill them tomorrow. I thank everyone again for keeping me informed!!

    Reply

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