Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has been supplied in the U.S for the last eight years. According to experts, drug traffickers have used this cheap white powder to enhance heroin potency over the years. In some cases, they have added too much of it, leading to the death of their customers.
In 2017, researchers from Brown University reported that Rhode Island’s heroin users described the drug as one to avoid, potentially deadly, and unpleasant. The researchers concluded that the deadly contaminant’s demand was low. They also concluded that the contaminant’s presence generated the interest of the user in the effective strategies for mitigating risk, including treatment.
However, Fentanyl was rarely available in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco till last year. Here, drug users have a different story about the drug. The majority of users consider it a high-value drug. According to them, careful use of the drug provides a strong, high while preventing dope sickness at a fraction of the heroin price.
Harm reduction workers report that over half of the people that use drugs in San Francisco seek fentanyl, not considering its dangers. Some seeking help from rehabs in California (Addiction Resource provides information) are already suffering the effects of fentanyl. What’s more, this drug is finding its way to other parts of America. This has prompted public health and law enforcement officials to come together to find out ways to stop the spread of this drug and prevent the worse consequences of its use.
The Biggest Killer
Fentanyl is 50 and 100 times stronger than heroin and morphine respectively. This synthetic opioid was hard to detect in the markets for illicit drugs in the U.S. It was also rarely detected in fatal overdose victims’ bodies 10 years ago.
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that this opioid is now the biggest killer in the current drug overdose epidemic that is ranging in the country. Overdoses rates for this drug increased by 113% every year between 2013 and 2016.
Many drug users in San Francisco say they attempt to avoid the white powder. However, some say they overdose after consuming different fentanyl-laced substances unwittingly. Such substances include cocaine, methamphetamines, as well as, counterfeit Vicodin and Xanax pills.
But, some drug users in San Francisco go for fentanyl if available and this trend is not reported in other parts of the United States. Surprisingly, fentanyl is not killing almost as many users as it is in Appalachia and the East Coast despite being powerful.
Philip Coffin, a substance use research director at the public health department, has expressed his views on the current fentanyl use trend in the city. According to Philip, fentanyl preference among San Francisco consumers and relatively low rate of death can be attributed largely to how dealers market the drug.
Fentanyl dealers in San Francisco do not disguise the drug as heroin the way they do in Appalachia and the East Coast. Instead, they label it clearly. Therefore, users know what they are purchasing and take appropriate precautions, said Philip.
Another reason why the city has a relatively low fentanyl death rate is the well-funded and entrenched community for harm reduction. In 2015, there was a fentanyl outbreak in San Francisco. This prompted harm reduction and public health groups to join forces and increase the available Narcan amount. Narcan is the substance used in drug rehab centers in California to treat fentanyl overdose. It’s now distributed via outreach programs to drug users.
Could it be a Better Alternative?
Kristen Marshall runs the Harm Reduction Coalition drug testing program. This is a national organization offering supplies and training to different harm reduction groups. According to Marshall, most people that use fentanyl intentionally are concentrated in Tenderloin.
However, more drug users in the other neighborhoods of San Francisco are opting for this powerful powder. These are getting help from the harm reduction workers that supply drug test strips and Narcan to come up with ways of avoiding overdoses. Though the drug provides short-lived euphoria, most users say they don’t intend to stop using it, albeit carefully, due to its value.
Most drug users prefer Fentanyl for its strength. A drug user needs less amount of it and it is cheaper. Therefore, most users with limited resources prefer it because it provides a better value for money.
Marshall says that the drug started finding its way to San Francisco 4 years ago. Consequently, harm reduction and public health officials revamped messages about it to drug users. “We knew people would use it and therefore, we opted to scare them by saying it would cause overdoses.” It is such messages that have seen fewer people make emergency visits to treatment centers in California than in some parts of the U.S.
The Growing Popularity
The opioid epidemic has ravaged other parts of the country over the last decade. But, most parts of California, including San Francisco seemed immune. Fentanyl appeared in California in 2015. The drug was already killing people in New England and Appalachian by 2013 and 2011 respectively.
Kelly Pfeifer, a California Health Care Foundation’s addiction expert and physician, says that California felt lucky for not seeing the devastation caused by the opioid epidemic in other places. Until last year, Fentanyl was not prevalent in San Francisco.
But, this changed in April. The Los Angeles Times reported three deaths of people that had snorted fentanyl-laced cocaine in Los Angeles. According to the public health officials, fentanyl presence was also established in methamphetamines.
After one month, officials in the law enforcement department started meeting with medical examiners, public health leaders, and researchers to devise better ways of detecting this opioid in drug supplies. They also started alerting users and distributing Narcan to overdose rescue centers just like it was done in California back in 2015.
Daniel Ciccarone, a University of California, San Francisco’s researcher and family physician, published a paper with a conclusion that most drug users didn’t want fentanyl. Ciccarone noted that the supply problem was the actual fentanyl epidemic. But the fight against drugs had proven unsuccessful. Therefore, he recommended addressing demand by enhancing harm reduction and California drug treatment centers as a better solution.
Since fentanyl is similar to other drugs, the researcher also recommended monitoring its supply and use. He noted that the market and use trends of this drug can’t be generalized because what is true now might be false tomorrow.
The Rising Death Toll
Over half of drug overdose deaths across the country involve fentanyl. Its reach is extending geographically. The death toll from fentanyl overdoses is rising with this synthetic opioid being involved in around 20% of deaths.
Experts note that it won’t take long before everybody hears of somebody they know seeking help from drug rehab in California after overdosing with this synthetic opioid.
Steven Shoptaw, an addiction medicine specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, is establishing statewide public health, law enforcement officials, and academics coalitions. These will fortify the defenses of the state against this deadly synthetic opioid.
He says that California is privileged for not having faced the mess caused by fentanyl in other states and they want things to remain that way.
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.