Police seizures of illicit fentanyl pills have soared in recent years, a new study has found.
seized by law enforcement was 2,300 times greater in 2023 than in 2017 – more than 115 million pills, compared to just under 50,000.has continued to infiltrate the drug supply in communities across the United States and it is a very dangerous time to use,” Volkow said in a news release.
More than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose in 2022, and 75% of those deaths involved an opioid, researchers said. Officials attribute the rise in these deaths largely to fentanyl, which is highly potent, cheaply made and easily transported.“Availability of illicit fentanyl is continuing to skyrocket in the U.S., and the influx of fentanyl-containing pills is particularly alarming,” lead researcher Joseph Palamar, an associate professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, said in a news release.
Many people take illicit drugs not knowing if they contain fentanyl, researchers said. These pills often are made to resemble prescription medications like “Public health efforts are needed to help prevent these pills from falling into the hands of young people, and to help prevent overdose among people taking pills that unsuspectingly contain fentanyl,” Palamar said.Get the facts on prescription drug abuse. Learn to spot the warning signs of abusing common prescription drugs and learn about treatment options for pill addiction.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Seizures of illicit fentanyl pills have surgedIt's an alarming shift in the country's illegal drug supply.
Read more »
Counterfeit fentanyl pills are becoming a lot more common in law enforcement seizuresAlmost half of the illicit fentanyl seized by law enforcement last year was pills made to look like prescription opioids, a new study says. The trend suggests a growing supply of illicit fentanyl.
Read more »
Police: California Couple Stashed 25,000 Fentanyl Pills Under Baby’s CribSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Homeowner mistakenly receives $2M worth of fentanyl pills through the mail, police sayThe Winslow Police Department says they got a report from a resident on May 3 about a misdelivered package.
Read more »
Police: Tip leads to discovery of 108K fentanyl-laced pills during traffic stop in St. GeorgeAn anonymous tip led to the recovery of more than 108,000 suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl during a traffic stop in St. George over the weekend.
Read more »
POLICE: East Texas parents arrested after suspected fentanyl pills found inside baby's diaperThe child's father admitted to placing the pills into the diaper, the SCSO said.
Read more »