What is Fentanyl: Exploring the origins & impact of the drug

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC )- The issue of Fentanyl has captured the nation’s attention with stories about addiction, fatalities, prevention, and new laws seemingly appearing every day. With so much information coming at you, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why KTAB/KRBC recently interviewed Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Marc Couch to discuss where the drug comes from, why some people use it, and how it has had such a significant impact in a short period of time.

First, let’s define a few things. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning it is man-made and has been used clinically for many years to treat severe pain, usually following surgery. Part of the reason it has become so impactful is that Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times that of Morphine. Due to increased potency, a fatal amount of fentanyl measures only two milligrams. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) , effects can include relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, and pupillary constriction.

“Fentanyl has been a game changer… It’s kinda in a lane of its own… No matter where you’re at, no matter what small town you’re in, fentanyl is there.” Couch said.

And it’s been around for longer than you might think. Fentanyl was first developed in a Belgian lab in the 1960s and first used clinically in 1963. The issues we are dealing with currently don’t begin to present on a large scale until much later. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said 1999 was the start of the three waves of the Opioid Overdose Epidemic .

During that time, Opioids like Oxycontin became more widely prescribed and utilized in the medical industry, and addiction took hold on many of its users. In the 2010s, opioids began to be more heavily restricted. This led to dealers and users turning to other drugs, namely heroin, in search of that same high. Couch said that the increased potency and comparatively low cost of Fentanyl made it a prime target for dealers to move to.

“It’s cheaply made and manufactured, and it’s being pushed in high, high quantities… So that decreases their overhead, and on the other end of that, their profit is increasing,” Couch explained.

Fentanyl is not only sold illegally by itself. Couch commented on the increasing prevalence of drugs laced with fentanyl to enhance their potency. There are also counterfeit drugs or “pressed pills” that are made to resemble one drug but may contain fentanyl either partially or entirely. This means that a person could unknowingly ingest and overdose on fentanyl while thinking they had taken something else. Since just two milligrams can be fatal, one pill may contain up to twice a lethal dose.

“What we’ve seen in the last three years has been this counterfeit use of Fentanyl in narcotics. The problem with that is that pill makers can make mistakes, and then they give you a lethal dose of that narcotic or fentanyl in the pill that you think is a regular Oxycontin… We preach this message all the time. We don’t take anything that hasn’t been given to you by a pharmacist or a doctor,” Couch said.

Since 2012, overdose from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, has skyrocketed at an alarming rate. However, this does not mean that all of those users were seeking out that specific drug. Couch commented on the epidemic of deaths resulting from young people believing they are trying one drug, unaware they were ingesting a fatal dose of fentanyl.

“We saw this a lot during COVID. Parents would come home and find a dead 14-year-old or 12-year-old in their bedroom… They didn’t take their life on purpose, but they were just trying out a pill,” said Couch.

Couch stated that the potency and prevalence of the drug have also impacted the way in which agencies like the DPS conduct searches of areas believed to contain fentanyl. He said that the risk of inhaling a lethal amount of the narcotic when it is in an “aerosol” or powder form is too high.

“Like a powder that gets in the air, you can quickly be overdosed,” Couch said.

But whether a user intends to take fentanyl or not, the risk is present, and given the increased likelihood of death, Couch says his message is the same to all: One pill can kill.

“To me this is the saddest point of all of this is the fact that we have a culture that for whatever reason want’s to be high… Life doesn’t get better after you’re high. When you wake up, it’s the same life that you were in… We’re just one choice away from changing our lives forever. Could be good can be bad… When you know it’s bad, just say no and step away,” said Couch.

If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse issues, help is out there. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration runs a free and confidential 24/7 hotline for those in need, 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Locally, the Abilene Recovery Council provides recovery services and can be reached at (325) 673-2242 or (800) 588-8728 or through its 24/7 crisis hotline at (800) 621-8504.

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