Fentanyl overdose deaths claiming thousands of American lives; what is behind the rise? – Fox News

Overdose deaths have increased in recent years due to the use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

The DEA seized 32,000 fake pills made to look like legitimate prescription pills in Omaha, Neb., but the drugs did not hit the black market until about the last decade.

Fentanyl spread over the past few years has been cheaper manufacturing methods. The LAPD police officer and an expert on drug identification told Fox News Digital that synthetic drugs are more affordable for producers and consumers.

Authorities said that suspects arrested in connection with trafficking fentanyl were linked to a transnational criminal organization known to smuggle drugs. The police officers had seen how drugs affected the rich and the poor.

Ben Westhoff, author of “Fentanyl, Inc.”, says that the current fentanyl epidemic started in 2005 when US lawmakers clamped down on methamphetamine. Since then, many backwoods meth labs scattered across the United States have moved to Mexico.

Thomas Olrik, Jr., battling addiction in the past, died from a fentanyl-related overdose at age 28. His autopsy report revealed that he had Klonopin and fentanyl in his system and that he probably just wanted something to soothe him.

Olriks’s story could happen to anyone, and Pratt-Weiss says fentanyl does not discriminate based on race, class, or gender.

According to sources, local authorities are going even further backward funding-wise when addressing this issue.

Despite a lack of resources, educating the public about this issue could help.

For more coverage on this story, check the following additional news sources: