Prompt Cast
The Deadly Rise of Fentanyl in the US: How Drug Dealers are Poisoning Their Customers
TLDR This episode of "Search Engine" explores the alarming trend of drug dealers adding fentanyl to other drugs, resulting in a deadly opioid epidemic in the US. The DEA failed to anticipate the rise of fentanyl due to its cheap production and high profitability, and American consumers' demand for drugs is fueling the crisis.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast "Search Engine" explores strange and contagious questions about the world, and in this episode, the question is why drug dealers are poisoning their own customers by adding fentanyl to other drugs.
05:02
Fentanyl, a highly potent and deadly drug, became a major problem in the US, but the DEA failed to see it coming due to its cheap production and high profitability for dealers, with much of the supply coming from China where it was quasi-legal.
08:55
The host goes undercover as a drug dealer to meet with a chemist in China who sells fentanyl analogs.
12:41
American undercover drug dealer visits fentanyl producers in China who are willing to make deals, and the opioid epidemic is fueled by demand from American consumers rather than Mexican drug cartels.
16:42
The opioid epidemic is fueled by the stories we tell about drugs, such as the false claim that Oxycodone was not addictive, leading to the deaths of many Americans.
20:21
The rise of fentanyl can be attributed to the regulation of OxyContin, which led to many Americans becoming addicted to the drug and seeking out illicit heroin, creating a new market that fentanyl filled.
24:12
Heroin users on Reddit despise fentanyl and have accepted it as a fact of life, with some even pursuing it, and drug dealers have realized that adding fentanyl to their product is not bad for business.
27:51
The illicit drug market, including cocaine, is so adulterated in America that users may not even notice if it's cut with fentanyl, and as long as they're getting high, they're probably satisfied.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
