In Honor of Nobel Laureate Dr. Avram Hershko
The illicit fentanyl epidemic in the US impacts all three dimensions of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. Increases in CDC-reported deaths due to fentanyl poisoning from ~3,000 in 2013, up to ~73,000 in 2023 caught the US by surprise. This increase and the large number of deaths prompts many people to speak up, including those lobbying the US Congress.
Simultaneously, reported US Border Patrol seizures have increased so that in 2023, over 24,000 pounds of illicit fentanyl were seized. Considering that 2 mg will kill a person, that amount is more than sufficient to kill every person in the US 18 times.
These statistics impact the US in each of the three dimensions of sustainability. These will be discussed.
