Cancer patients who require round the clock opioids (e.g. morphine drip) for excruciating pain can become opioid tolerant and experience “breakthrough” pain. In this situation, fentanyl has been useful to relieve severe pain.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. This pharmaceutical narcotic has also been used in surgery as an anesthetic and for other conditions. But its illegal use has made fentanyl one of the most potent and deadly drugs of our time. Consider the following coroner’s report:
Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office
Ramsey, Minnesota, 55303
Decedent Age-57 Sex-Male Race-Black/African American
Occupation-Artist Business-music
Height-63 inches Weight-112 Hair color-black Eye color-brown Build-petite
Description of clothing — Black cap, black shirt, gray undershirt, black pants, black briefs, black socks
Manner of death — Accident Cause — ‘Fentanyl’ Toxicity
It’s a cold, dispassionate description of the death a man. Nothing about the family nor the love ones left behind. No mention of the man’s laughter, kindness, creativity and wit, No mention of other attributes.
“Prince” — his full name — Prince Rogers Nelson, died of an overdose of fentanyl on April 21, 2016. He was one of more than 33,000 deaths that year due to an overdose of opioids.
This musician–singer brought joy and entertainment to millions of his fans. He could not stop. Imagine, like many others with addiction, he found the drug to be less pleasurable than before but he could not stop. This demon tortured his mind, enslaved his body and controlled his behavior.
Edges of two brain cells. Orange stars show dopamine leaving one cell and attaching itself to the receptors (blue) of a neighboring cell.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Fentanyl attaches to nerve cell receptors in the brain, spinal cord and G.I. tract. Besides relieving pain, this drug hits the reward center of the brain causing the release of dopamine and an increase sensation of relaxation and pleasure.
The internet and laboratories are replacing the poppy plant as the go to place for opioids. And China is spearheading the growing appetite for narcotics.
The China Connection
The opium trade developed during the 18th and 19th century. Great Britain, and to a lesser extent other western countries, exported opium grown in India and the Brits sold it to China. The British used the profits derived from the sale of opium to purchase much sought after luxury items, such as silk tea and porcelain from the Chinese.
In a twist of fate, China is turning the opioid tables on western civilization. China is using the internet and the digital age, not sailing ships, to export opioids to western countries with deadly consequences.
Today, many synthetic fentanyl compounds start in Chinese laboratories. The drug is delivered directly to you by ordering it over the internet. China also ships opioids to cartels around the globe. Drug dealers in different locations have combined it or not with heroin and smuggled it into the United States.
Why waste time growing poppy plants when you can obtain opioids from laboratories more quickly and more cheaply?
From sailing ships stuffed with opium to trafficking drugs in the digital age, opioids continue to tear apart the fabric of families and society. No one is immune. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. Rich–poor, young-old, lawyers-doctors, white-black all struggle to be free from the demonic grip of addiction. A revolutionary approach is needed to slow the present scourge. Prison sentences have proven to be a failed policy for this chronic brain disease.
Opium Clipper Water Witch (1831) National Maritime Museum, London
References
CDC Understanding the Epidemic Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States; December 16, 2016
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD; Opioids — Dope and Dopamine; HC Smart 2017
This article is intended solely as a learning experience. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options.