Fentanyl-Laced Drugs Are To Blame For Opioid Crisis' Ever-Rising Death Toll. But When Labeled That Way, It's Still Sought After.

In places like San Francisco, where fentanyl is clearly labeled and not disguised as heroin, some people who are addicted to opioids prefer the powerful synthetic. “Fentanyl is stronger, you need less of it, and it’s cheaper. So why wouldn’t I, as somebody with limited funds, want to spend my money on something that’s a better value and therefore a better product?” Kristen Marshall, who runs a drug testing program for the Harm Reduction Coalition, tells Stateline about the drug users she treats.

Stateline: Some Drug Users In Western U.S. Seek Out Deadly Fentanyl. Here’s Why.

More than half of drug users here purposely seek fentanyl, despite its dangers, according to harm reduction workers who talk to hundreds of drug users every day. Fifty times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, the synthetic opioid was rarely detected in U.S. illicit drug markets or in the bodies of fatal overdose victims just a decade ago. Now it has become the biggest killer in the nation’s raging drug overdose epidemic. (Vestal, 1/7)

In other news on the epidemic —

The Associated Press: Drugmakers Seek Sanctions Over '60 Minutes' Comments

Several drug manufacturers targeted in lawsuits over the opioid epidemic have asked a federal judge in Cleveland to sanction the man who is Ohio's attorney general and governor-elect, along with two other lawyers, for statements they made in recent television interviews. Friday's motion said statements by Republican Attorney General and Gov.-elect Mike DeWine and the others on an episode of CBS' "60 Minutes" were calculated to taint potential jury pools, Cleveland.com reported. (1/6)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Police Try New Approach To Stem Drug Addiction Epidemic

Courtney Nunnally scrolled on her phone in the back of the Richmond police SUV. The fluorescent lights from the strip centers, gas stations and cheap motels lining Midlothian Turnpike shined through the tinted window, barely cutting the darkness that had already descended by 5:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before Christmas. Officer Ben Frazer scanned the illuminated parking lots as he drove, looking for familiar faces. (Balch, 1/4)

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