Fentanyl fueling worst drug crisis in U.S. history, killing 70,000 a year - 60 Minutes

[SouthBayDem]

We are in the midst of the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. The drug is fentanyl, and unlike cocaine and heroin, it's a purely chemical, man-made drug. It's cheap to produce, easily smuggled, and packs an incredibly addictive punch – 50 times more powerful than heroin. Nearly all the fentanyl flooding into the U.S. is made in Mexico by two powerful drug cartels, with chemicals primarily purchased from China. And as you're about to hear, it is frequently hidden in counterfeit pills made to look just like prescription drugs. It's the scourge of our time. Last year more than 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl; that's a higher death toll than U.S. military casualties in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

Full transcript on CBS of this segment from Sept. 22.

[ck4829]

1. Fentanyl is fueled by American guns

https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2023-08-03/legally-purchased-guns-from-texas-are-fueling-cartel-violence-and-the-fentanyl-crisis?_amp=true

[Blues Heron]

2. Maybe cracking down on codeine and valium wasnt the smartest move - now we have a chemical arms race to the bottom

[no_hypocrisy]

3. My goddaughter died b/c of Fentanyl. She didn't know it was in the capsules

she bought.

Single mother of a four year old. Working to get her life together and was making progress.

24 years old.

Grandparents are raising her daughter.