Fentanyl drives 50-fold increase in overdose deaths from laced stimulants since 2010

Overdose deaths involving fentanyl-laced stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine have increased about 50 times between 2010 and 2021.
Fentanyl is increasingly being mixed with stimulants, leading to a rise in unintentional overdoses, especially among minorities.
Synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl now account for the majority of overdose deaths in the US.
The rise in fentanyl-laced stimulants represents the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic after prescription pills, heroin, and fentanyl alone.
Experts recommend increased access to treatment for substance use disorders to combat the ongoing crisis.