Historic decline in U.S. overdose deaths threatened by changing street drug supply

Health Historic decline in U.S. overdose deaths threatened by changing street drug supply April 14, 20261:03 PM ET Brian Mann A forensic chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration holds vials of fentanyl pills at a DEA research laboratory in this file photo. Fentanyl deaths are plunging in the U.S, but the recovery is threatened by a new "synthetic soup" of toxic street drugs. Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP hide caption toggle caption Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP Earlier this year, Naida Rutherford, the coroner in Richland County, South Carolina, was helping investigate what appeared to be a mysterious overdose. The case had many of the hallmarks of a typical fentanyl death. "Every sort of physical manifestation, like the foam coming from the mouth and nose, as if they had an overdose," Rutherford said. "Their blood tested negative for any substance, which was very odd." Her team was stumped, so Rutherford expanded the testing, looking for new compounds. "That's where we found the cychlorphine," she told NPR, referring to one of the incredibly potent synthetic opioids spreading fast in the U.S. street drug supply. Sponsor Message The Story Behind The Story 8 theories why fentanyl deaths are plummeting "This is the first time we've seen it in South Carolina, which is very scary because none of us knew to test for it." Experts say the U.S. addiction crisis is evolving fast, in ways that appear both hopeful and incredibly dangerous. The peril comes from a street drug supply that chemists now describe as a "synthetic soup." Where once most drug users mostly consumed plant-based substances such as cocaine and heroin, drug gangs and cartels have shifted to producing and selling synthetic substances made from industrial chemicals. Fentanyl and methamphetamines have been around for years. Now, illicit chemists are adulterating batches of street drugs with a fast-changing and often baffling mix of compounds, ranging from Novocaine to a stabilizer used in plastics manufacturing cal...