New Orleans: Losing the Fight Against Fentanyl

As America enters National Recovery Month, New Orleans continues to grapple with unprecedented spikes in fentanyl-related deaths.

Drug overdose deaths surpass homicides.

In this report: more bad news for beleaguered New Orleans.

It’s National Recovery Month, and according to the Orleans Parish Coroner’s 2018 report, deaths caused by the lethal synthetic opioid have doubled in recent years. 106 out of 168 opiate-related deaths were directly linked to fentanyl compared to 48 in 2016. “The number of drug overdose deaths continues to surpass the number of homicides in the city,” wrote NOLA Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna.

Looking back further, the trend is even more alarming as the Centers for Disease Control noted that opioid overdoses in the city are “six times higher than they were 15 years ago.”

Often cut with heroin for recreational use, high-potency fentanyl is the nation’s most common synthetic opioid, even used in some states for execution purposes. In 2016, the musician Prince succumbed to an overdose of fentanyl used for pain management, according to autopsy reports released after his death. Dr. Lewis Nelson of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School stated that the high concentration levels of fentanyl found in Prince’s blood, liver, and stomach were “a pretty clear smoking gun.”

Frequently made in China and distributed to US-based consumers illegally, fentanyl has again landed on the radar of the White House. In August, President Trump publicly called on the USPS and other package delivery services to search for and refuse deliveries of fentanyl, in particular from illicit overseas manufacturing areas such as China, which is also known for producing dangerous “designer” synthetic drugs like Spice and K2.

Mexican cartels, meanwhile, are also coming under DEA scrutiny for buying massive quantities of fentanyl for redistribution to US cities, where it is often destined for consumption in the Southeast.

Fentanyl is 50-100 times more potent than morphine.

Rated as “50-100 times more potent than morphine,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), fentanyl can be used in a variety of ways, making it tough to know when a person is using. It can be smoked, snorted, taken in tablet or lozenge form, via oral or nasal sprays, patches, or as an injectable.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever, approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain.

Fentanyl has been known to be lethal in doses as small as just 0.25 milligrams. Some illicit users aren’t even aware of what they’re using, and easily overdose on the powerful drug which slows breathing and pulse and creates severe drowsiness. It also absorbs incredibly fast in hot climates such as those found in New Orleans.

 

At Gulf Breeze Recovery, we understand addiction and recovery.

If you or someone you care about, has an ongoing history of substance use and relapse, we can help. Contact us at Gulf Breeze Recovery or call: 833.551.2356 to speak to an addiction expert to learn more about our program that has helped so many people overcome their addiction, rediscover their dreams and embrace life.