Significantly Less Fentanyl and Fewer Overdoses Seen in the U.S. Over Past 6 Months

Over the past six months, significantly less fentanyl is being sold in the U.S. and there have been fewer overdoses, experts tell NPR.

Some of the top drug policy analysts say the data indicates a major disruption in the deadly fentanyl supply chain. According to Vanda Felbab-Brown at the Brookings Institution, who studies international criminal organizations that make and smuggle fentanyl, these organizations appear to be trafficking less fentanyl. They are also weakening the potency of the fentanyl being sold. “Everyone has been caught by surprise by the extent of the adulteration of fentanyl,” Felbab-Brown said. “And even more significantly by claims in certain places in the U.S. that there is not enough fentanyl available.”

Labs that test street fentanyl are finding it cut or watered down more aggressively, often with an industrial chemical called BTMPS. The chemical is considered toxic to humans but does not cause overdoses or immediate deaths.

Some experts say international pressure on Chinese companies that make fentanyl precursor chemicals may be a factor, while others think a global crackdown on Mexican drug cartels that smuggle fentanyl into the U.S. is affecting the black market supply chain. But some experts think this is likely a temporary and modest supply disruption that is unlikely to last, and some doubt it is responsible for the decline in overdose deaths.