Growing fentanyl crisis is leaving ‘trail of death’ in its wake, federal officials warn
WASHINGTON — The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been tracking the use of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is killing both drug addicts and those who work with them in what is becoming a national trauma, agency officials announced Tuesday.
The U.S. government is aware of the increasing amount of fentanyl in the country, a national Drug Enforcement Administration field agent told reporters at the White House Tuesday. While the quantity of fentanyl in the U.S. has actually been declining over the last two years, the agency’s awareness of the problem is growing, the DEA agent said.
The number of fentanyl-related deaths is “actually rising,” the DEA agent said, adding that the agency is working with local authorities to determine where the increase is coming from and what the impact is on communities, workplaces and institutions.
“We do know how quickly the problem is growing,” said the DEA agent, in a reference to the volume and availability of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in the country.
A DEA field agent spoke to reporters at the White House about the growing crisis of fentanyl in the country.
The increasing use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than heroin, has raised concerns about the impact of the dangerous drug in a number of communities across the country, the DEA said. During the drug’s peak in 2017, the agency said, “an estimated 90% of fatal overdoses reported to [the DEA] involved fentanyl.”
With increased awareness of the problem, the DEA said, “law enforcement and community partners have begun to take steps to address the use of fentanyl. The use of fentanyl continues to grow, with new synthetic opioid calls increasing daily.”
At the same time, the Trump administration has been working to curb the production of the substance used in many of the synthetic opioid deaths across the country. Last December, the administration authorized federal officials to buy and stockpile fentanyl precursors, which are necessary to make the synthetic opioid in