Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
2-12-2025
Abstract
The United States is facing a fentanyl epidemic. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is fifty times stronger than heroin and one hundred times stronger than morphine. While fentanyl is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pain relief and anesthetic used in controlled medical settings, most overdoses come from illegally manufactured fentanyl. Drug dealers lace fentanyl into fake prescription pills and other illegal drugs. Since fentanyl is a synthetic drug, it is cheaper to produce than other opioids that are grown from plants, and it therefore is more profitable for drug cartels to sell. A lethal amount of fentanyl is only two milligrams—the equivalent to four grains of sand. Many individuals who overdose from fentanyl often do so unknowingly; they are often unaware that they are both ingesting the drug and lethal amounts of it. The most vulnerable population that is susceptible to fentanyl poisoning are teens and young adults.[8] Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans aged eighteen to forty-five. Each week, about twenty-two teenagers aged fourteen to eighteen die from drug overdoses, primarily caused by fentanyl laced into counterfeit pills.
This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website on February 12, 2025. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.
Recommended Citation
McGuinness, Molly, "Let’s Save More Lives: A Call for a National Good Samaritan Law" (2025). Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice (ERSJ) Blog. 91.
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/ersj-blog/91
