Fentanyl is now the number one cause of overdose deaths in the country, surpassing heroin by a
large margin. Originally manufactured for pain treatment in cancer patients, the synthetic opioid is about
100 times more potent than morphine, and its illegal use continues to be on the rise across the United
States.
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. increased 28.5% between April 2020 and April 2021, according to
the
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with three out of four overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids
like Fentanyl.
Most of
the illicit forms of the drug comes to the
U.S. via China and Mexico, and it has found its way to Collin County.
Recently, marijuana laced with Fentanyl showed up in high schools here, resulting in the hospitalization of
two students. Fortunately, no one died in these incidents but medical and law enforcement authorities note that
more and more street drugs are laced with fentanyl because of its low cost and extreme potency.
More concerning is the fact that such a small amount of Fentanyl can be deadly (see charts). A dosage of 700
micrograms of Fentanyl can kill a user, and amounts above that bring almost certain death.
Collin County Substance Abuse >offers free education and adolescent
substance abuse evaluations.
For more information about Fentanyl or any substances, please contact the Substance Abuse staff at
(972) 548-5570.