Fentanyl Awareness Day puts America's deadliest drug crisis in the spotlight

August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.

The day is intended to educate society about what experts believe is the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis in U.S. history.

Fentanyl is an opioid that is nearly 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The drug is cheap and highly addictive – a deadly combination that has destroyed or ended the lives of countless Americans.

While many drug users are aware when they take fentanyl, just as many are unaware. Drug dealers often mix small amounts of fentanyl into the other drugs they sell to encourage addiction and facilitate repeat business. Because of this, many people who overdosed on fentanyl were not even aware they were taking the drug.

Just two milligrams of fentanyl is enough for a potentially fatal dose.

“The DEA seized more than 80 million fentanyl pills and 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023,” the DEA said in a statement of recognition for National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. “That equates to more than 381 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl that the DEA was able to keep out of our communities.”

As of August 21, the DEA has seized over 33 million fentanyl tablets and 4,574 pounds of fentanyl powder this year. July 2024 saw the higher numbers for fentanyl seizures compared to July 2023, July 2022, and July 2021.

As large amounts of fentanyl continue to be smuggled into the United States across the southern border, the epidemic is an ongoing problem for Texans.

One of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel, is said to have moved its operations closer to Texas earlier this year, according to reports The Dallas Express.

The Sinaloa cartel is notorious for smuggling fentanyl into the USA. At the end of July, two high-ranking cartel members were arrested by the federal police. The men were considered two of the most influential drug traffickers in Mexico.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Department of Justice will not rest until every single cartel leader, member and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said after the arrests.

Closer to home, Fort Worth Police have established a Fentanyl Task Force in 2023 to target fentanyl drug dealers across the city.

Additionally, in 2021, the Dallas Police Department established an overdose unit to investigate all drug overdoses in Dallas. The DPD also has a narcotics unit that focuses on combating illegal drugs and raising community awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.

Still, the DPD is hampered by a longstanding officer shortage, with only about 3,000 officers on staff, despite a city analysis that suggests about 4,000 are needed.

According to the City of Dallas' Crime Analysis Dashboard, 7,206 drug-related crimes have been committed in Dallas itself this year through August 20. Drug-related crime is particularly prevalent in downtown Dallas, which regularly has more crimes than downtown Fort Worth. Downtown Fort Worth is patrolled by a special police unit and private security forces.

The DPD was allocated only $654 million this fiscal year, far less than what other high-crime cities such as Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles spend on their police departments.