NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tuesday, May 9 marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day as efforts continue to shed light on the deadly drug. It's one that has caused more overdose deaths than ever before.
The drug has caused a lot of problems in Nashville. In just the first quarter of 2023, there have been more than 140 suspected drug overdose deaths. Of those, fentanyl played a part in more than 75 percent of them.
Health experts and leaders across the country are sounding the alarm yet again about how potent this drug can be. Nationwide, fentanyl is involved in more deaths of people under 50 than any other cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, homicide and suicide.
According to the CDC, more than 107,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings between January 2021 and January 2022. A staggering 67 percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Some of those deaths were tied to fentanyl mixed with other illicit drugs like cocaine, meth and heroin.
It only takes two milligrams of fentanyl for it to be considered a potentially lethal dose and it's a drug that’s especially dangerous for someone who does not have a tolerance to opioids.
