Opioids in Pennsylvania continue to take its toll on the state and its inhabitants. The opioid epidemic is not only a health disorder epidemic—it can be seen as an ongoing battle raging across the nation. What started as a medication option promising lasting pain relief has turned into a series of highly addictive street drugs and potent pharmaceuticals that have led to countless crimes and over 760,000 deaths since 1999.

Fortunately, as awareness grows, so do the treatment options available. In Pennsylvania, the opioid threat continues to endanger communities across the state. Understanding what this threat truly is, increasing opioid awareness, and developing alternatives to this powerful line of drugs can help to reduce the spread of opioid overdose in Pennsylvania.

What Are Opioids?

Opiate compounds can naturally be found in the opium poppy and are used to make drugs like morphine and codeine. Opioids, a term often used interchangeably with opiates, are synthetic drugs created to interact with opioid receptors in the body and mimic the effect of natural opiates. Both natural opiates and synthetic opioids make up a class of drugs that are commonly prescribed by medical professionals to reduce chronic or severe pain. In many instances, opioids are prescribed following major surgery.

While opioids are effective at managing severe pain, they have also been shown to possess serious risks and lasting side effects. Even when taken responsibly, these so-called "narcotic" drugs can be highly addictive. Opioids are available in various formulations, including prescription OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, Lortab, fentanyl, codeine, morphine, hydrocodone, methadone, and the street drug heroin.

Opioids in Pennsylvania and Throughout Nation

The first wave of the opioid epidemic occurred in the 1990s, as medical professionals prescribed opioid painkillers at an alarming rate. This led to the overuse and misuse of legal prescriptions that people became dependent upon over time. As the extent of the addiction and overdose issues became apparent and prescriptions became less common, people turned to heroin and more readily available street forms of opioids. This led to the second wave of the epidemic in the 2010s.

The third wave of the epidemic arrived in 2013, with a staggering rise in illicit fentanyl and other street forms of synthetic opioid deaths. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid originally used for pain relief, as it is significantly more powerful than other opioids. Prescription fentanyl is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine, and Carfentanil, a derivative used as a zoo tranquilizer, is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine. In the medical world, this drug is carefully prescribed and monitored. However, the amount created and distributed illegally continues to increase, not only in Pennsylvania but across the nation.

Currently, the most significant risk facing Pennsylvanians is the potential for unknowingly purchasing and consuming fentanyl. In recent years, there has been an increase in illegally distributed prescription and street drugs laced with fentanyl. Distributors may choose to add more readily available and potent fentanyl to drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin or may choose to mix these drugs and compress them into tablets that resemble popular medications. In either case, the product can deliver a powerful high with reduced cost to the distributor. Individuals may purchase these drugs completely unaware of the presence of fentanyl and experience an overdose.