Known as \"half angel, half devil\", fentanyl sits at the center of one of America's most urgent public health challenges. Originally designed to relieve severe pain for cancer patients, this synthetic opioid is 80 to 100 times more potent than traditional plant-based drugs like morphine and heroin. Yet its life-saving medical applications are increasingly overshadowed by a darker role: a leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S.
The Paradox of Power
In clinical settings, fentanyl’s strength makes it invaluable for managing extreme pain. However, illegally manufactured variants have flooded streets nationwide, often mixed into counterfeit pills or other drugs without users’ knowledge. Just 2 milligrams—equivalent to a few grains of salt—can be fatal.
Why the U.S. Crisis?
Experts cite fentanyl’s low production cost and high profit margins as key drivers of its black-market dominance. U.S. law enforcement agencies reported seizing over 115 million lethal doses in 2023 alone. Meanwhile, harm-reduction advocates emphasize the need for wider naloxone access and evidence-based addiction treatment to combat rising fatalities.
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What is fentanyl, the deadly drug that is out of control in the U.S.?
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