California has seized enough fentanyl to kill everyone in North America, twice

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The end-of-the-year numbers concerning fentanyl in California show the state's National Guard and other agencies have confiscated 28,765 pounds of the deadly drug in 2022. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) said this amount is enough to kill every person in North America two times.

This is a 594 percent increase in the amount seized when compared to 2021.

“The opioid crisis has touched every part of California, and our nation, this year. As we mourn the many lives lost, California is working harder than ever to fight this crisis and protect people from these dangerous drugs to ensure our communities are kept safe in the first place,” said Governor Newsom. “California is cracking down on the fentanyl crisis – increasing seizures, making resources more available to Californians, and ensuring communities have what they need to combat the immeasurable harm opioids have caused our society, our communities, and our loved ones.”

Since the beginning of 2022, California has invested $1 billion to address the opioid crisis. These funds are funding 166 new guard members who will be hired and trained to support Newsom's initiative to reduce deadly fentanyl in communities.

Fentanyl and opioids are a concern in El Dorado and Placer counties as well.

In El Dorado County the overdoses with fentanyl present have been increasing each of the last three years. State and national figures also show an annual increase in fentanyl being present in cases of overdose. In 2021, there were 33 opioid-related overdose deaths with almost half of those having fentanyl present (15). So far in 2022, there have been 43 overdose deaths in El Dorado County, 20 with fentanyl present.

In 2021, over 75 percent of overdose deaths in California had fentanyl present.

So what is fentanyl and why is it ending up in fake pills?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer.

However, most recent cases of fentanyl-related overdose are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which is distributed through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect. It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous.

Powdered fentanyl looks just like many other drugs. It is commonly mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine and made into pills that are made to resemble other prescription opioids. Fentanyl-laced drugs are extremely dangerous, and many people may be unaware that their drugs are laced with fentanyl. The DEA says the illegal pills look similar to the pills consumers think they are buying, are easily accessible, and are often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms, making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors. Many fake pills are made to look like prescription opioids such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®).

According to the DEA, their laboratory has found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

Some of the street names for fake opioids are 30s, 40s, 512s, Beans, Blues, Buttons, Cotton, Greens, Hillbilly Heroin, Kickers, Killers, Muchachas, Mujeres, OC, Oxy, Oxy 80s, Roxy, Roxy Shorts, Whites.

This is the first of a two-part series. Tomorrow, learn what is being done locally to combat fentanyl and illegal opioids and prevent deaths.