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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Fentanyl is involved in more American youth drug deaths than heroin, meth, cocaine and prescription drugs combined, according to the latest statistics and one of the reasons today is the inaugural "National Fentanyl Awareness Day."
About 40 percent of pills seized by law enforcement contains fentanyl, a powerful drug up 50x stronger than heroin and 100x stronger than morphine. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the CDC.
Illicit fentanyl, according to the DEA, is usually manufactured in foreign clandestine labs and smuggled into the United States through Mexico.
3NEWS recently spoke with one Coastal Bend DEA agent about how deadly this problem is.
"Two milligrams, the tip of a pencil, that amount of fentanyl can kill you," Ajay Patel said. "Is your life worth the glamour that you think you're going to get from taking a pill which is most likely a counterfeit pill?"
Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the nation had hit a grim milestone. For the first time, more than 100,000 Americans had died of drug overdoses over a 12-month period.
Several Republican governors and attorneys general have responded to the rising death toll with administrative enforcement efforts and by pushing for more federal intervention.
Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called for states to help secure the border with Mexico. Along with trying to keep people from entering the U.S., stopping the flow of fentanyl was cited as a reason. Several other Republican governors have sent contingents of state troopers or National Guard units.
The Texas Military Department said that from March 2021 through earlier this month, its troops near the border confiscated more than 1,200 pounds of fentanyl. By comparison, federal authorities reported confiscating about 11,000 pounds in 2021 — still a fraction of what entered the country.
National Fentanyl Awareness Day, observed on May 10, is a chance to speak on the dangers of this drug. Remind your friends and family: any “prescription” pill you don’t directly get from a pharmacy may contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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