https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220331101509.htm

This study was published today in Drug and Alcohol Dependence and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the United States hit a record high in the number of overdose deaths ever recorded, estimating that nearly 106,000 people died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in October 2021. This rise is largely driven by illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

Illicit fentanyl is highly potent, cheaply made and easily transported, making it a profitable narcotic. While people may seek out illicit fentanyl intentionally, many people are not aware that the drug they are using -- including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, or benzodiazepines -- may actually be fentanyl, or has been adulterated or contaminated with fentanyl. Because fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than heroin and a lethal dose may be as small as two milligrams, using a drug that has been laced with fentanyl can greatly increase overdose risk.