“Stories about accidental overdose deaths involving fentanyl are becoming increasingly common,” writes @AbcarianLAT for @latimesopinion. latimes.com/opinion/story/…
“Earlier this month, in a house on a Venice canal, three people who reportedly thought they were using cocaine died after apparently ingesting the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.”
“‘I doubt it occurred to cocaine users to test it,’ said Dr. Gilmore Chung, director of addiction services for the Venice Family Clinic. ‘But we see fentanyl in all drugs.’”
“Fentanyl, which is cheap to produce and far more powerful than heroin, can be made to look like black tar or China white heroin, cocaine or crystal meth. It can be pressed into pills and appear to be OxyContin, Xanax or Valium.”
“As public health experts became alarmed at the increasing number of opioid overdose deaths, and the enormity of the crisis was becoming clear, prescription opioids became harder to find.”
“‘All of a sudden, everyone had switched from prescription stuff to heroin,’ Zachary said. ‘It was so much cheaper.’ But as drug cartels realized it was easier and cheaper to produce fentanyl, heroin became scarce.” 
“Zachary told me he has lost count of how many times he has overdosed and been revived with Narcan; he has used it to revive friends many times.”
“California is one of a handful of states that allows anyone to buy Narcan without a prescription and shields anyone who administers it from liability.”
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