What the Hell Is Fentanyl, Anyway — and Why Is It Killing Everyone?

Federal authorities <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/philadelphia-cbp-seizes-nearly-17-million-fentanyl-shipped-china" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">seized</a> 110 pounds of the synthetic opioid fentanyl at a Philadelphia port last week. The drug was found in a shipment arriving from China, and officials <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/philadelphia-cbp-seizes-nearly-17-million-fentanyl-shipped-china" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">estimate</a> that the stockpile is worth a street value of approximately $1.7 million. This occured only one month after Nebraska state troopers confiscated 118 pounds of fentanyl — apparently, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article211820799.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">enough to kill more than 26 million people</a> — during a routine traffic stop. The seizure is believed to be the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NEStatePatrol/posts/10155250727977133" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">largest in Nebraska history</a> and one of the largest in U.S. history. These massive seizures can be attributed to the fact that fentanyl has become a driving force behind the opioid epidemic over the past few years. A recent <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2679931?redirect=true" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">study</a> found that fentanyl is actually killing more Americans than either heroin or prescribed painkillers: Of the 42,000 overdose deaths reported in 2016, approximately <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKCfegxvOPg&feature=youtu.be" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">19,000</a> were related to fentanyl, while 15,469 were related to heroin and 17,087 to prescribed opioids. <a href="https://medium.com/mel-magazine/what-the-hell-is-fentanyl-anyway-and-why-is-it-killing-everyone-bbf1babd667f">Click Here</a>