A new study shows a dramatic spike in the number of counterfeit fentanyl pills seized by law enforcement, an indication of the growing illicit drug supply driving the 'historic opioid crisis.
Last year, more than 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl were seized by law enforcement, compared to over 71 million in 2022, said a study published Monday in the International Journal of Drug Policy. It found that the number of pills seized last year was 2,300 times greater than the roughly 50,000 seized in 2017.
The counterfeit pills are made to look like legitimate prescription opioid medications — like oxycodone or benzodiazepines — but are often far deadlier.
Public health officials have been warning about fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, in the illicit drug supply for more than a decade. The new report highlights the rising threat of cheap and highly potent counterfeit pills, especially in the western U.S., NPR reports.
"Availability of illicit fentanyl is continuing to skyrocket in the U.S., and the influx of fentanyl-containing pills is particularly alarming," said Prof. Joseph Palamar of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, lead author on the study. "Public health efforts are needed to help prevent these pills from falling into the hands of young people, and to help prevent overdose among people taking pills that unsuspectingly contain fentanyl."
The study was led by researchers in the National Drug Early Warning System, a federal program that monitors drug seizures in 33 High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas across the U.S. The data come from a mix of federal, state and local law enforcement organizations. It does not include seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Among factors fueling the spread: The counterfeit pills are cheap to make and buy, and social media and the dark web have made them easier to buy online. Fentanyl delivers a very powerful but very brief high, so people consume more of it than they would other opioids.
It's faster-acting and many times more potent than heroin and morphine, making it highly addictive and much easier to overdose. In fake prescription pill form, it can be mistaken for a safer drug. In reality, there's no telling how much fentanyl is in them.
"It's like Russian roulette," said Dr. Samuel Beckerman, an emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles. "One pill might be enough to make you stop breathing. Another pill might just be enough to get you high."