Yes, most of the fentanyl that's abused comes from illegal sources. However, like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, I put some of the responsibility on the people who created it and promoted its use in the first place.
It's naive to think we could make "super heroin" and it would stay restricted to safe, controlled medical environments. I'm not convinced the good it does in certain cases outweighs the enormous harm it's also responsible for.
I don't think academic pharmacologists should try to avoid discovering drugs that have potential for abuse. They should be following medical efficacy - and it seems like generally they are.
Nobody was 'contracted to invent super heroin', they modified molecules with medical efficacy and tested to see which ones were also effective. Drug discovery is a much less deliberate process than you are making it sound.
> I put some of the responsibility on the people who created it and promoted it's use in the first place.
While there was a little bit of questionable marketing around some forms of fentanyl it was mostly around for the ride - the real blockbuster drugs leading to the medical establishment opioid crisis were hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol. Making fentanyl a scapegoat is misplaced.
The opioid epidemic did not need a "super heroin".
> It's naive to think we could make "super heroin" and it would stay restricted to safe, controlled medical environments
It's naive to think organized crime cartels would not have figured it out anyway.
I'm not making fentanyl a scapegoat, just look at the US drug overdose statistics, especially the huge jump around 2020. Fentanyl is eclipsing every other opioid, synthetic or otherwise. It alone is responsible for what is quickly becoming the deadliest drug epidemic of all time.
There's good reason for my harsh criticism, and I don't think most people truly realize how bad the situation is.
> There's good reason for my harsh criticism, and I don't think most people truly realize how bad the situation is.
No. I'm saying, as someone that understands the nuances better than you that, focusing on the fentanyl statistic is misleading.
> It alone is responsible for what is quickly becoming the deadliest drug epidemic of all time.
No it is not "alone" responsible. All the other stuff: oxy, hydro, tramadol, heroin, morphine is more responsible for the current mess. People didn't routinely end up with opioid addictions due to fentanyl as much as all these other medications (and illicit heroin, not all addictions are the doing of big pharma)
The fact that they are now seeking out illegal suppliers and that invariably these end up being fentanyl based due to the convenience for that organized criminal enterprise is why fentanyl shows up so much.
It's not the root cause though. And the forces that make it appealing in the illegal market would be present regardless of its legal status as a prescription medication.
The whole problem with fentanyl is that it sucks, the high isn't very good, which makes it extremely dangerous if you think that it might be a good idea to try to take more. It's the opposite of super heroin. It's a garbage substitute for the actual fun stuff.
Yeah in its pure form it's a very strong opioid by weight, but that's of minimal relevance in practice.
It's naive to think we could make "super heroin" and it would stay restricted to safe, controlled medical environments. I'm not convinced the good it does in certain cases outweighs the enormous harm it's also responsible for.