We can’t ignore Fentanyl any longer

Made in China, transported by Mexico, fentanyl has risen to the top of the opioid chain as the leading cause of drug deaths in America. Unfortunately our leaders seem to be consumed with other situations, ie Covid and war, so fentanyl is clearly under their radar.
In the first half of 2021, fentanyl/opioids were the cause of nearly 55,000 deaths, primarily amongst the 18-40 year old population. I have written many a column about the evils of meth, heroin and prescription drugs, but the emergence of fentanyl is far worse. It is far deadlier and more addictive than any drug we have ever encountered.
Fentanyl is 50-100 times stronger, and thus more lethal, than morphine. In fact the medical community prescribes fentanyl as a substitute to morphine in many cases, particularly for cancer patients experiencing terrible pain.
Prescribed low dose fentanyl however is not the problem, although it is highly addictive. The real problem is heroin, meth, cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills that have been laced with fentanyl. You read it right. Unscrupulous Mexican cartel associates, have been exporting all types of drugs they have manufactured with portions of fentanyl. They do this because they know fentanyl gives a greater high and is much more addictive.
And with our open border policy, cartels are hiking the illicit drug to all points in America at an alarming rate. India, too is getting in on the action, although most of their fentanyl manufacturing is for legal medical use.
In many instances the mixture of fentanyl is too great, and the American teen or young adult who imbibes dies instantly. Many times the drug or pill user has no clue they are ingesting fentanyl. They might believe they are popping a Vicodin, when in essence it is laced with a murderous substance.
Never has America experienced a more deadly killer, yet we are doing very little about it. We can tell our children and young adults until we are “blue in the face” to not buy pills or drugs from street dealers, but in many instances they will not listen.
In my opinion we need to get to the root cause of the problem. That means our leaders must put pressure on China and Mexico to stop manufacturing and exporting fentanyl for illicit drug trade. We cannot ignore the problem. It will not go away. Those two rogue nations need to be held accountable for the nearly 600 deaths per day in America caused by fentanyl/opioids.
Coupled with the international pressure, a public relations campaign aimed at our youth and young adults should be implemented. Heck we spend oodles of dough on the ills of drinking, smoking and driving impaired, and none of those vices cause deaths as great as fentanyl. We need to hammer home the deadly affects of fentanyl, and we need to do it now.
Most importantly our leaders cannot ignore the problem. Lets spend more time talking about fentanyl than Ukraine because in the end this is affecting Americans more than any foreign war could ever.