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Synthetic opioids, the leading cause of overdose deaths in the US

2023-05-08 18:22:54, Shëndeti CNA

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the leading cause of overdose deaths in America are synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. Law enforcement officials say illegal fentanyl is made cheaply from chemicals that come mostly from China, trafficked through Mexico and then smuggled into the United States. Voice of America correspondent Natasha Mozgovaya brings a series of materials, entitled Fentanyl the Killer, starting with the overdose of a teenager in the state of Washington.

Lucas Beirer was active in the church's youth group. He worked part-time as a swim instructor and played high school football in this quiet community near Seattle.

But when the 16-year-old hurt his back, his mother, Olga Davidov-Beirer, says he started taking painkillers. She wasn't too concerned at first, but says she discussed the dangers of the drug with her son after one of Lucas' classmates died of an overdose.

"I spoke to Luca after the funeral although I had no idea he was buying pills. I talked to him and said, 'Lucas, I don't know what it is,' because no one was mentioning the word fentanyl, but I said, 'I want to make sure I'm not going to be a mother who loses her child.'"

A month later, investigators say Lucas took what he thought was Percocet, a powerful pain reliever. But the pill was counterfeit, laced with fentanyl. His mother found him unconscious on the morning of the first day of the new school year.

I heard from his friends, 'It must be fentanyl, it must be fentanyl,' and I asked, 'What is fentanyl?'"

Fentanyl is a drug approved for the treatment of severe pain.

Illegal fentanyl is often mixed with heroin or cocaine, or used in counterfeit pills like the one that killed Luca.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Jacob Galvan says lab tests detect potentially lethal doses of fentanyl in six out of 10 fake pills.

"We show it to the agents and they are unable to distinguish it, we show it to the specialists in the laboratories, they cannot distinguish it either. That's how well they manage to produce them".

"This can happen to anyone. The profit is huge on fentanyl and fentanyl can be thrown into anything. Everyone should be aware that these pills are sold or distributed on the street," says Olga Davidov-Beirer.

After the deaths in this community, authorities have launched several new school programs on the dangers of fentanyl to help staff deal with accidental overdoses.

"We think the sooner we get to a school, the better." We will be in grammar schools to colleges if they would accept us. It's very important to spread the message about how deadly these pills are," says Jacob Galvan.

The US Department of Health and Human Services says that more than 90% of people age 12 and older with a substance abuse disorder do not receive any treatment. Lucas' family created a group of volunteers to spread awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, to help families recognize the warning signs and know where to turn for help./ VOA