Fentanyl: The new face of the US war on the poor
Al JazeeraThe US government is trying to blame the fentanyl crisis on drug trafficking but it is a disaster of its own making. At an April 14 news conference in Washington, DC, Drug Enforcement Agency chief Anne Milgram sounded the alarm about the country’s latest appointed public enemy number one: four Mexican guys known as “Los Chapitos”, the sons of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Declaring El Chapo’s offspring “responsible for the massive influx” into the United States of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, Milgram insisted: “Let me be clear that the Chapitos pioneered the manufacture and trafficking of the deadliest drug our country has ever faced.” As if this were not news enough, the DEA chief threw in some additional alleged trivia, according to which the Chapitos had “fed their enemies alive to tigers, electrocuted them, waterboarded them” – activities the likes of which the US has obviously never perpetrated against its own enemies. As Houry explained: “People that are on prescription opioids get addicted to opioids and can then go on to overdose from heroin or fentanyl.” So it is hardly shocking that people are dropping like flies from fentanyl given the unchecked opioid over-prescription that has epitomised the contemporary healthcare scene in the US – an arrangement that ultimately has little to do with health and lots to do with money. According to Scientific American magazine, the overall overdose death rate for Black people in the US first surpassed the death rate for white people in 2019, with the proliferation of fentanyl producing a panorama in which “Black men older than 55 who survived for decades with a heroin addiction are dying at rates four times greater than people of other races in that age group”.
History of this topic
Canada records almost 50,000 deaths from fentanyl since 2016
Al Jazeera
A fentanyl antidote is saving lives - but isn't ending the fentanyl crisis
Hindustan TimesFentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland
Associated Press
Is America’s opioid epidemic finally burning out?
Hindustan Times)
How Trump’s threats have deepened Canada’s fentanyl fight
Firstpost
Urgent CDC warning as new drug carfentanil 100 times more deadly than fentanyl kills hundreds in 37 states
Daily Mail
Mexico makes record fentanyl bust days after Trump tariff threat
CNN
Mexico makes record fentanyl bust days after Trump tariff threat
CNN
Trump unveils new strategy to stop Americans taking fentanyl – an ad campaign
The Independent
How a fentanyl epidemic, killing 200 Americans a day, has gripped US
India Today)
Why is Donald Trump blaming China for US opioid crisis?
Firstpost
Scapegoating others can't end US' drug crisis: China Daily editorial
China Daily
Trump's promise to fix the fentanyl crisis appealed to voters and alarmed experts
NPR
'Historic' drop in U.S. overdose deaths accelerates as fentanyl crisis eases
NPR
As heroin in Afghanistan dries up, Europe could face an overdose crisis like the U.S.
Salon
US overdoses have fallen sharply in recent months, a hopeful shift in trends
CNN
A ‘miracle molecule’ could cut fentanyl deaths in half — or lead more into addiction
Politico
Scapegoating doesn't fix US' fentanyl problem
China DailyFewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious
Associated Press
Drug overdose deaths in the US decreased in 2023, for the first time in five years
CNN
Report: China is fueling US fentanyl crisis by subsidizing production
Daily Mail
China gives TAX BREAKS to the fentanyl-making firms behind some 80,000 US overdose deaths each year: House report says Beijing sows 'chaos and devastation'
Daily MailHouse panel says China subsidizes fentanyl production to fuel crisis in the United States
Associated PressMexico, a leading producer of illicit fentanyl, can’t get enough for medical use, study finds
Associated Press
Opinion: ‘Just say no’ can kill kids. Teach them how to stay safe in the fentanyl era
LA Times
Fentanyl epidemic reaches CONGRESS: Capitol Hill staffers given 600 free doses of live-saving medication naloxone to prevent overdoses as drug wave sweeps Washington
Daily Mail
Synthetic opioids could fuel ‘second wave’ of UK drug deaths crisis, experts warn
The Independent
‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking’: Fentanyl is officially Los Angeles County’s deadliest drug
LA Times
As Pacific Northwest fentanyl crisis surges, officials grapple with how to curb it
The IndependentChina’s agreement expected to slow flow of fentanyl into US, but not solve overdose epidemic
Associated Press)
What's fentanyl, the opioid at the centre of Biden-Xi talks, which led to 70,000 deaths in US?
Firstpost)
US, China high on fentanyl action plan, to combat global drug trafficking
Firstpost
Massachusetts: Heart-shaped pills laced with fentanyl seized and 3 arrested in drug bust worth $8 million
CNN
What’s fentanyl, and why have deaths due to drug overdose spiked in the US?
Al JazeeraUS announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers
Associated Press
US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers
The Independent
Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
The IndependentFamilies of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
Associated Press
Fentanyl crisis resulted from institutional flaws in the United States
China DailyPrescription opioid shipments declined sharply even as fatal overdoses increased, new data shows
Associated Press
Counterfeit pills involved in growing share of overdose deaths in the US, CDC study finds
CNN
A deadly new street drug caught the U.S. off guard. Experts say it'll happen again
NPR
Homeless people fight to save lives, and stay alive, as L.A.’s fentanyl crisis worsens
LA Times
Fentanyl fuels string of deadly weekend overdoses in Portland, Oregon
Associated Press
Column: Kids are dying from fentanyl. More prison time for dealers won’t help
LA Times
Fentanyl overdoses contribute to surge in L.A. County homeless deaths
LA Times
‘No child should be dying’: Fentanyl-related deaths among kids rising, Yale study says
LA Times
Fentanyl-related deaths among children increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021
CNN
Republican senators say solving the opioid epidemic requires more than just fighting fentanyl
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