Health · 2026-10-18 · Afternoon briefing
US drug crisis transformed by synthetic opioids
A wave of powerful synthetic opioids is transforming the drug landscape and deepening a public health crisis. Fentanyl, an entirely man-made substance, is now in plentiful supply and is between 50 and 100 times more powerful than heroin, which is derived from cultivated poppies.
The shift is acutely felt in cities like Columbus, Ohio. There, a 48-year-old army veteran named Mike supports a 20-year opioid addiction by working odd jobs at a local pawn shop and gas station. He describes the drug's hold as something that "will damn near make you do anything". Of the substance's potency, he notes the finality of an overdose: "You can snort too much and you can't take it back. Kind of like a gunshot. Can't call the bullet back."
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- A wave of homemade, synthetic drugs sweeps US and deepens crisis
- Potent ‘Orphine’ Opioids Surge in US Illicit Drug Supply
- L.A. County sees first death from new synthetic opioid cychlorphine
- Chinese nationals accused of smuggling synthetic drugs into US prisons on drug-soaked paper
- 21 Arrested in Chinese Drug Ring That Sent Opioids, Stimulants to US Prisons: DOJ
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