The Opiate Crisis

64,070.   That's the number of drug overdose deaths in the US in 2016 according to the CDC, which is a record high.  More than 20,000 of these deaths involved synthetic opioids.  

Below is a breakdown of morphine and is relatives:

Morphine - A naturally occurring opiate found in plants like the opium poppy.   Morphine was discovered in the early 1800s.  Morphine is used in creating synthetic painkillers.

Heroine - A chemist created heroine using morphine in the 1870s. 

Prescription opioids - These are prescription painkillers like oxycodone (Percocet, Oxycontin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid) etc.

Fentanyl - Also a synthetic opioid used for treating severe pain; its hundreds of times stronger than morphine.

Carfentanil - Related to fentanyl except its thought to be thousands times stronger than morphine.  

Fentanyl is now a huge part of the overdose crisis.   Its legally prescribed but in recent years its become a street drug and often manufactured illegally.   Its a lucrative business.  According to this cnn.com article, "...you can buy about a kilogram of black-market fentanyl or a derivative online for about $8,000. That can be used to cut 1 million pills, and on the street, those pills can bring in a total of $20 million to $30 million."   

Even scarier than fentanyl is carfentanil.  This is a drug used to tranquilize elephants.  Its 10,000 times stronger than morphine.   A tiny amount can kill a person.  

Tragically, people buying heroin on the street don't realize that they're using something laced with fentanyl or even carfentanil.    Hence, this contributes to a spike in overdose deaths.   One bright spot is the use of a drug called naloxone, which instantly kicks opioids out of the brain's opioid receptors and saves lives - if help arrives in time.    

Now for the personal side of this problem.   Watch this video of this woman telling her story to CNN.    What stands out to me the most about her is her utter lack of pretense and absolute sincerity in warning people to stay far away from heroin.    It is heartbreaking to see.   Her story is shared by so many others.   And its not just the story of people living on the edges of society - its a story found behind many doors, in every social class and every community.  

Data obtained from CDC.gov