Fentanyl has “largely fueled” an increase in youth overdose deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported.
According to the data, the drug has greatly contributed to a “more than doubling” of overdose deaths among children ages 12 to 17.
Montgomery County, Maryland, emergency rooms “tracked a spike in opioid-related visits last year among young people ages 10 to 21,” the analysis stated.
In November 2023, American Faith reported over 300 pounds of fentanyl was seized at the U.S. border in Tucson, Arizona in just one week.
During that same time, over 14,000 illegal immigrants entered the country.
In May 2023, American Faith reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) fentanyl seizures surged by 14% in April compared to March and have risen by over 400% since fiscal year 2019.
In the first seven months of fiscal year 2023, CBP seized over 17,000 pounds of fentanyl, significantly surpassing the 6,600 pounds seized from October 2021 through April 2022.