As America’s two-decade-old drug overdose and addiction crisis grows deadlier, state governments are looking for ways to stop the destruction caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
In lawmakers across the country, lawmakers are passing legislation on two fronts: reducing risk to users and increasing penalties for trafficking fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Republican prosecutors are calling for more federal action, and some Republican governors are deploying the National Guard to stem the flow of fentanyl from Mexico.
“There’s a fine line between helping people get people off drugs and at the same time getting drug dealers in jail and off the streets,” said Nathan Manning, a Republican senator from Ohio who works on legislation.
The urgency is compounded by the ever-increasing effects of medication. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, for the first time, more than 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in a 12-month period. About two-thirds of the deaths were related to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, which can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, heroin or prescription opioids.
The recent case of five West Point cadets overdosing on cocaine containing fentanyl concentrate while on vacation in Florida once again highlighted the dangers and magnitude of the fentanyl crisis.
The chemical precursors to the drug are mostly shipped from China to Mexico, where much of the illicit fentanyl is manufactured in laboratories before being smuggled into the United States.
While users sometimes search specifically for fentanyl, it and other synthetics with similar properties are often mixed with other drugs or made into adulterated pills, so users often don’t know they’re taking it.
Experts say the test strips can help prevent accidental overdoses from fentanyl-laced drugs. The strips are given out in exchange for needles and sometimes at concerts or other events where drug sale or use is expected.