Thread by @InSightCrime

Cocaine and heroin no longer rule the illicit drug market in the United States. Other substances have arrived to replace them.
How did this happen and why is it so concerning? 🧵⬇️

We are talking about methamphetamine and fentanyl. The first, known on the streets as “meth,” is a powerful psychostimulant that releases dopamine by flooding the parts of the brain that regulate the sensation of pleasure.

Methamphetamine has managed to attract twice as many consumers as cocaine. According to @USCustomsandBo1, meth seizures are seven times higher than they were eight years ago:

Just like in the TV series Breaking Bad, the drug is produced in secret laboratories where different forms of amphetamines are mixed with other chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, flashlight fuel and antifreeze to add to its potency.

Mexican criminal actors specialize in the production and trafficking of this drug and, as part of their marketing strategy, deceive consumers by selling them imitations of Adderall, made purely from meth.
bit.ly/32QFyIK

Then there is also fentanyl, known as "Dance Fever" or “Jackpot.” It is an opioid, like other illegal drugs (heroin) as well as legal medications (Oxicontin, Xanax, Percocet, etc.), that has led to a health crisis in the US, with 14,019 overdose deaths reported in 2019 alone.

Of all the opioids, including heroine, the DEA identified fentanyl as the main one responsible for the US health crisis.
Why?

For starters, the Mexican criminal organizations that produce this drug, including in the form of adulterated pills, have the infrastructure, contacts and workers to produce it in massive quantities.

The profit margin, from production to sale, is also huge. A source within the DEA told InSight Crime that Mexican criminal organizations can produce fentanyl for $180 per kilo and sell it on the US border for $25,000
bit.ly/3tWtAt3

These changes in consumption patterns in the US are also seen in Mexico, which has experienced an increase in meth and fentanyl use since 2009, and may soon have to deal with a health crisis like the US.
bit.ly/3vspJUW