Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in America, CDC confirms

(CNN, December 12) The synthetic opioid fentanyl is involved in most drug overdoses, according to a recent report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The highly addictive drug was involved in almost 30 percent of all overdose deaths in 2016.

Its popularity has been growing each year; in 2011 fentanyl was involved in just four percent of drug deaths. From 2013 to 2016, drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl overall have jumped by about 113 percent each year, according to the report.

Fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. Many drug dealers mix fentanyl into their heroin to make the drug stronger. Read more.

Source: “Drugs Most Frequently Involved in Drug Overdose Deaths: United States,  2011-2016."