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Fentanyl
Susan Adelman, MD
On July 15, Victor Nava reported in the Washington Examin- er, “There were more than 71,000 fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has also recorded a steady increase in deaths linked to fentanyl since 2019.”
But the headline was that the DEA “seized approximately 1 million fake pills containing fentanyl in Inglewood, California, earlier this month.” The drug bust occurred “during a raid of a home tied to a Los Angeles-area drug trafficking organization believed to be linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, [according
to] the DEA. The seizure is the largest ever made by the DEA in California, according to the agency. The fake pills have an estimated street value of $15-$20 million dollars.”
The important part for doctors to note is the DEA’s warning that “the fake pills were mass produced in Mexico and designed to resemble brand-name prescription medications such as Oxy- contin, Percocet, Vicodin, Xanax, and Adderall.”
Remember, a dose of 2 milligrams of fentanyl is enough to be lethal.
These pills cannot be designed simply for profit. The most profitable drugs cause addiction, luring the addict to repeat- edly buy more. That is not the case when a pill can poison the taker with one dose. And these dangerous, poisonous drugs are flooding our country. “In 2021, Los Angeles-area DEA agents
seized over 3 million pills containing fentanyl, and in 2022 they have so far seized approximately 1.5 million fentanyl-laced pills, a 64% increase over the same period last year.”
What happens to these drugs? Many of them pass to unsus- pecting teenagers and other young people who are not addicts and who simply ask a friend if he happens to have, say, a Xanax or an Adderall. Then his parent finds him dead in his room later in the day. Television and newspapers are full of these stories.
What are the take-aways for us in the medical profession? The key lesson is the need to educate our patients to teach their children to never, NEVER, NEVER, take a pill from a friend, relative, or any nonphysician, either in person or online, no matter how innocent or well-meaning the person may seem. After all, most likely that person also has no idea that anything is wrong with the pill they helpfully offer.
All medical offices, facilities, and schools should have warning signs posted on their walls with this message.
The next take away is political, and some may not want to hear this, but doctors, as responsible citizens, should join their voices in opposition to the ease with which fentanyl is coming into our country through our southern border. Because it is killing our children. •
12 Detroit Medical News
Third Quarter 2022