Illegal drugs are expected
to be a top national security threat this year, according to the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In its annual study released in late
2023, DHS said it expects that illegal drugs produced in Mexico and sold in the
U.S. will continue to kill more Americans than any other threat.
More than 100,000 people in
the U.S. died from drug overdoses during the last year, according to
preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75%
of those overdose deaths are from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
It is expected that fentanyl
will remain the leading cause of narcotics-related deaths in the U.S. Traffickers
have contributed to more deadly mixes of fentanyl on the market. Fentanyl,
itself a deadly drug, has been found in counterfeit prescription pills, such as
Adderall and Xanax, creating combinations that raise the risk of overdose. In
addition, traffickers often bulk fentanyl powder and pills with the animal
sedative xylazine (“Tranq”), thus presenting more difficult challenges to standard
opioid overdose treatments.
According the DHS report, the
illegal narcotics trade also harms our communities by supporting violent
criminal enterprises, money laundering, and corruption. DHS and law enforcement
have committed to efforts to stop dangerous and illegal drugs from entering our
country – seizing more fentanyl and arresting more people for fentanyl-related
crimes in the last two years than in the previous five years combined.
It is important to remain
informed to keep our kids and communities safe and healthy.
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