DEC 06, 2016 (WASHINGTON) –DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg today announced results from the 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), which details the extent to which illicit drugs are affecting the United States. Most notably, the 2016 NDTA continues to illuminate the nationwide opioid epidemic, which is fueling a growing heroin user population and resulting in a greater amount of overdoses.
This opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by the national reemergence of fentanyl – a synthetic opioid which is much more potent than heroin. Fentanyl’s strong opioid properties have made it an attractive drug of abuse. Illicit fentanyl, manufactured in foreign countries and then smuggled into the United States, is a rising factor in the current overdose epidemic. Carfentanil is approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
The 2016 NDTA also found that Mexican transnational criminal organizations continue to act as the biggest criminal drug threat to the United States and are the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Other 2016 NDTA findings:
- While there is evidence of a slight decline in the abuse levels of controlled prescription drugs, data indicates an increase in the seizure of counterfeit prescription drugs (many of which contain the extremely potent substance fentanyl).
- Heroin overdose deaths are high across the United States, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Nationally, overdose deaths more than tripled between 2010 and 2014, with the most recent available data reporting 10,574 people in the United States died in 2014 from heroin overdoses.2
- Deaths in the “synthetic opioids” category rose 79% from 3,097 in 2013 to 5,544 in 2014. While other opioids are included in this category, public health officials maintain that fentanyl is contributing to most of this increase. Fentanyl is sometimes added to heroin batches, or mixed with other adulterants and sold as counterfeit heroin, unknown to the user.3
- Methamphetamine continues to be readily available throughout the United States, and methamphetamine distribution and use continues to contribute to violent and property crime in the United States.
- Cocaine availability and use in the United States increased across multiple fronts between 2014 and 2015 and is likely to continue increasing in the near term. Colombia will remain the primary source of supply for cocaine in the United States, and elevated levels of coca cultivation, potential pure cocaine production, and north-bound movement indicate more cocaine is available for traffickers who want to attempt to re-invigorate the U.S. cocaine market.
The National Drug Threat Assessment provides a yearly assessment of the many challenges local communities face related to drug abuse and drug trafficking.
