{"id":28288,"date":"2016-12-06T13:19:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T21:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=28288"},"modified":"2016-12-06T13:19:51","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T21:19:51","slug":"dea-fentanyl-related-overdose-deaths-on-the-rise-at-an-alarming-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=28288","title":{"rendered":"DEA: Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths on the Rise at an Alarming Rate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fentanyltabletsdea04222016\"<\/span><\/b>WASHINGTON D.C.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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There is a nationwide opioid epidemic, which is fueling a growing heroin user population and resulting in a greater number of overdoses, according to a DEA report released Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg released results from the 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment or NDTA, which details the extent to which illicit drugs are affecting the United States.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To read the entire report click here: \u00a02015 National Drug Threat Assessment<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In 201<\/span>4, approximately 129 people died every day as a result of drug poisoning and 61% (79) of them are pharmaceutical opioid or heroin related.<\/span><\/p>\n

This opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by the national reemergence of fentanyl – a synthetic opioid which is much more potent than heroin. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fentanyl\u2019s 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, according to the DEA<\/span><\/p>\n

It is usually mixed into heroin products or pressed into counterfeit prescription pills, sometimes without the users\u2019 awareness, which often leads to overdose. The rise in overdose deaths also coincides with the arrival of carfentanil, a fentanyl-related compound, in America\u2019s illicit drug markets. <\/span><\/p>\n

Carfentanil is approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"DEAThe 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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“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 Rosenberg “We face a public health crisis of historic proportions. Countering it requires a comprehensive approach that includes law enforcement, education, and treatment.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2016 NDTA also found that Mexican 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"dea\"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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Within the U.S., violent gangs affiliated with these drug trafficking organizations are a significant threat to the safety and security of our communities. These gangs receive deadly drugs like heroin from regional cartel affiliates and then supply them to American communities for profit, regardless of the human cost. \u00a0Other 2016 NDTA findings:<\/span><\/p>\n

While there is 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).<\/span><\/p>\n

Heroin overdose deaths are high across the United States, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest.\u00a0 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. [ii]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n