Fentanyl poisoning deaths double in 30 states over 2 years: study

Fentanyl poising deaths doubled in 30 states between 2019 and 2021, according to an analysis of U.S. government data.

Five states including Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana Mississippi, California and Texas saw a five-fold increase in fentanyl deaths, the analysis from opioid awareness organization Families Against Fentanyl shows.

“The fentanyl crisis is getting worse, not better. Fake pills with deadly amounts of fentanyl are popping up everywhere. It’s in fake Xanax and Percocets, it’s being laced in cocaine and ecstasy. A single pill can kill,” Families Against Fentanyl founder James Rauh, who lost his son to fentanyl poisoning, said in a Thursday statement.

In 30 states, fentanyl poisoning deaths have more than doubled in just two years. https://t.co/WDidlxsx9W #onepillcankill pic.twitter.com/r8QQ6wGhLL

— Families Against Fentanyl (@FafFentanyl) February 4, 2022

The synthetic opioid can be deadly even in very small amounts, and other drugs, including heroin, meth and marijuana, can be laced with the dangerous drug. Mexico and China are the primary sources for the flow of fentanyl into the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

“Fentanyl poisoning is tearing families apart and killing our young people at an alarming rate,” Rauh said. “This stuff is so deadly it’s been used as a chemical weapon. Even babies and young children have been fatally poisoned by accident. It does not belong on our streets. It’s time for our leaders in Washington to do more.” – READ MORE