This Tuesday, February 7, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced that at least 70,000 American citizens per year are dying in the country due to fentanyl overdoses.
During his State of the Union address tonight, the President offered his words to Doug, the father of Courtney, a young overdose victim, who was present during the President’s speech to the United States Congress.
“I was only 20 years old. And (like him), fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year,” the president said, adding that he would boost efforts to stop fentanyl production. , he announced that there would be more drug-detection machines, as well as a more thorough review of packages and loads passing through the border to avoid “powders and pills” being smuggled across, alluding to other opioids. .
What is Fentanyl and why is it so addictive?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, 50 times stronger than heroin And 100 times more potent than morphine.
It can be given as an injection, through a patch that is applied to a person’s skin, or as tablets that are sucked on like cough drops.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), since 2014, more and more American addicts have turned to fentanyl because of its use as a quick and cheap equivalent to heroin.
Like heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, fentanyl works by binding to opioid receptors found in areas of the brain that control pain and emotion.
Thus fentanyl It produces effects such as relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression.
