Fentanyl

The Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, established under Section 7221 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, was charged with examining aspects of the synthetic opioid threat to the United States—specifically, with developing a consensus on a strategic approach to combating the illegal flow of synthetic opioids into the United States. This final report describes items involving the illegal manufacturing and trafficking of synthetic opioids, as well as the deficiencies in countering their production and distribution, and includes action items directed to appropriate executive branch agencies and congressional committees and leadership....

Smaller than a pencil, and using the same technology as an at-home pregnancy test, fentanyl test strips are disposable, single-use tests that can detect the presence of fentanyl or fentanyl analogs in a substance. This fact sheet sets forth how fentanyl test strips work as a drug checking tool, how they can mitigate risks to people with substance use disorder, and the current challenges with their legality....

After domestic production of methamphetamine increased significantly in the 1990s, federal and state authorities took action to address the hazardous conditions left behind in meth labs. Congress passed legislation directing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish meth decontamination guidelines based on the best available scientific knowledge. Today, the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogues cause over twice as many overdose deaths in the United States yearly as meth. Its effects, though similar to morphine or heroin, are 50 to 100 times more powerful, making even small amounts dangerous to users and bystanders alike. Despite this, as of 2021, the scale of federal and state action on fentanyl cleanup is not comparable to that historically taken against meth labs. Fentanyl is a relative newcomer to the scene of illicit drugs in the United States, so scientific authorities and policymakers have had less time to address the issue of clean up. In the interim, the lack of authoritative guidance and policy creates risks, as outlined in this fact sheet....