Fentanyl is an opioid that is illicitly produced and combined with heroin to increase the potency of the drug. “Drug dealers are mixing the illicit fentanyl in order to increase the potency of weakened heroin” (Staff). This lethal mixture has caused thousands of deaths; therefore, heroin addicts, the public, and the government need to be aware of the crisis. Along with medical personnel, law enforcement officers now carry Narcan, a drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. The borders, ports, and mail service of the United States are in desperate need of increased security and screenings to reduce the amount of fentanyl and heroin entering the United States.
China is believed to be the main source of fentanyl and sends the drug …show more content…
The drug can be in a found in white, gray, brown, or black powder. When using, addicts can inject, smoke, or snort the drug. “Heroin users are likely to get HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases from sharing used needles” (Hyde 30). Many different substances can be added to heroin to weaken or strengthen the potency. Users can never tell how powerful one specific amount is, so they are constantly at risk of overdosing. Heroin tolerance is built quickly, requiring more and more each time, in order to reach the high. Withdrawal symptoms are extremely painful, due to the body’s physical dependence on the drug. The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health says that 670,000 Americans use heroin. Throughout the world, there are 9.2 million people who use heroin. Most heroin on the Eastern Coast of the United States is brought from Afghanistan through the ports of large cities such as New York. The use of heroin has drastically increased due to the massive amount of poppy plants being grown and developed in Afghanistan. There are over 495,000 acres of land solely dedicated to heroin production in the country (Reuters). In one county in Ohio, heroin related deaths increased 225% between the years of 2011 and 2015. Massive amounts of heroin are also coming into the United States from the Mexican border. Mexican drug dealers are even using drones to move heroin across the border. The borders and ports …show more content…
Like heroin, it is made from the poppy plant. Fentanyl is one hundred times more potent than morphine. Legal fentanyl has been prescribed for pain management for almost ninety years. In the prescription form, it is used for cancer patients as a last resort for pain management. Two salt grained sized amounts of fentanyl is lethal if exposed to the body. It can be absorbed through the skin or through breathing. Law enforcement is encouraged to not field test the substance if it is suspected to be fentanyl due to its dangerous effects. Illegal fentanyl is so potent, that it is causing thousands of deaths. Between October 2014 and October 2015, 336 people in Massachusetts died from fentanyl related overdoses (Seelye). Statistics show that in Ohio there was a 500 percent increase of accidental fentanyl-related overdoses from the year 2013 to the year 2014. The singer, Prince, recently died of a fentanyl overdose. Most of the synthetic, illicit fentanyl enters the United States from China in cargo containers on ships. Fentanyl is shipped to Mexico, where it is smuggled or it is mailed directly into the United States. The United States needs to strengthen its mail regulations, along with the other countries, to help combat the growing
China is believed to be the main source of fentanyl and sends the drug …show more content…
The drug can be in a found in white, gray, brown, or black powder. When using, addicts can inject, smoke, or snort the drug. “Heroin users are likely to get HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases from sharing used needles” (Hyde 30). Many different substances can be added to heroin to weaken or strengthen the potency. Users can never tell how powerful one specific amount is, so they are constantly at risk of overdosing. Heroin tolerance is built quickly, requiring more and more each time, in order to reach the high. Withdrawal symptoms are extremely painful, due to the body’s physical dependence on the drug. The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health says that 670,000 Americans use heroin. Throughout the world, there are 9.2 million people who use heroin. Most heroin on the Eastern Coast of the United States is brought from Afghanistan through the ports of large cities such as New York. The use of heroin has drastically increased due to the massive amount of poppy plants being grown and developed in Afghanistan. There are over 495,000 acres of land solely dedicated to heroin production in the country (Reuters). In one county in Ohio, heroin related deaths increased 225% between the years of 2011 and 2015. Massive amounts of heroin are also coming into the United States from the Mexican border. Mexican drug dealers are even using drones to move heroin across the border. The borders and ports …show more content…
Like heroin, it is made from the poppy plant. Fentanyl is one hundred times more potent than morphine. Legal fentanyl has been prescribed for pain management for almost ninety years. In the prescription form, it is used for cancer patients as a last resort for pain management. Two salt grained sized amounts of fentanyl is lethal if exposed to the body. It can be absorbed through the skin or through breathing. Law enforcement is encouraged to not field test the substance if it is suspected to be fentanyl due to its dangerous effects. Illegal fentanyl is so potent, that it is causing thousands of deaths. Between October 2014 and October 2015, 336 people in Massachusetts died from fentanyl related overdoses (Seelye). Statistics show that in Ohio there was a 500 percent increase of accidental fentanyl-related overdoses from the year 2013 to the year 2014. The singer, Prince, recently died of a fentanyl overdose. Most of the synthetic, illicit fentanyl enters the United States from China in cargo containers on ships. Fentanyl is shipped to Mexico, where it is smuggled or it is mailed directly into the United States. The United States needs to strengthen its mail regulations, along with the other countries, to help combat the growing