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Fentanyl and other opioids are wreaking havoc on the American economy costing lives, and productivity.
An event last week in Clark County, WA illustrates the extent of the problem. Health officials there reported 10 likely fentanyl overdoses in four days from April 15 – 18. The cases were all treated at county emergency facilities with naloxone. None was fatal. Naloxone is set to be sold over the counter under the brand name Narcan.
Fentanyl Epidemic Robs Economy
The country lost about $1.5 trillion in 2020 due to illegal opioid use, according to a late 2022 report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC). That equals about seven percent of the gross domestic product. In addition, it is a 37 percent increase over 2017.
The JEC expects those numbers to rise as the number of opioid fatalities to continue their climb.
“As a nation, we are now less healthy, less economically competitive, and less secure as a result of the opioid epidemic that continues to ravage our country,” said Representative Don Beyer (D) VA chair when the report was issued.
Fentanyl Epidemic Steals Labor
One of the major impacts of the rising epidemic is its effect on the labor force.
The American Action Forum reports that of the 6.3 million workers were missing from the workforce in 2022 Of that number, 1.3 million were the result of opioid abuse.
Over 106,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports. Opiods acounted for 70,601 of those deaths. The vast majority of those opioid deaths were from fentanyl.
“Fentanyl—which is more potent than morphine, cheaply made, and easily transported—is fueling the synthetic opioid wave and, consequently, the majority of opioid overdose fatalities,” noted American Action Forum.
Heroid and Fentanyl
Opioids, such as fentanyl, are derived from the poppy plant. That is right. Opioids are made from the same source as heroin. However, fentanyl in prescribed doses is not illegal.
Like other medical opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, fentanyl is prescribed for pain. However, it becomes lethal when drug dealers manufacture it in more powerful doses.
Compared one to one, fentanyl is 50 times stronger than morphine and 100 times stronger than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Who Uses
White Americans comprised 69 percent of opioid overdose deaths in 2020, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study. One group that is particularly susceptible to fentanyl or related overdoses is military veterans.
A government report concerning Veterans Health Administration patients found that veterans were twice as likely to die from accidental poisoning than the general population.
“Opioid medications and cocaine were frequently mentioned as the agents causing poisoning on death records,” according to the report published by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
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