Thread by @VICENews

The drug market is absolutely flooded with fentanyl right now. trib.al/H08njh0

Post-lockdown, social drug users are facing a new normal where cocaine, meth, ecstasy, and other social drugs are increasingly tainted by fentanyl, raising the risk of overdoses and death. trib.al/H08njh0

Overdose deaths soared nearly 30 percent from 2019 to more than 93,000 in 2020, according to preliminary CDC data released in July. This sharp increase was driven by fentanyl. trib.al/H08njh0

Researchers believe the pandemic is partly to blame for the spike in drug-overdose deaths.

Socially-distanced drug users used alone or tapped an unfamiliar supply, which led to unexpected overdoses with nobody around to administer life-saving naloxone. trib.al/H08njh0

“The majority of people I know that are dying of overdose are dying because the drugs are so inconsistent,” said Mary Howe, who runs a needle exchange program in San Francisco. trib.al/H08njh0

“People regularly think they are using a certain drug when, quite often—surprise—there is fentanyl in it.” trib.al/H08njh0

But lurking in the data is another disturbing trend: “accidental” or “unintentional” opioid overdoses befalling people who never intended to use opioids. trib.al/H08njh0

Overdosing on fentanyl-contaminated stimulants is now common enough for researchers to declare it the overdose crisis’ “fourth wave.” trib.al/H08njh0

Warnings of fentanyl have prompted the usual responses from harm-reduction specialists. Start slowly. Don’t use alone. Carry naloxone. Use test strips to detect potential contamination. trib.al/H08njh0

Read our full story: trib.al/H08njh0