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The fentanyl crisis looms large in the US even on St. Patrick’s Day when law enforcement in Knoxville seized enough of the drug to kill hundreds of thousands of people according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
The interdictions are a part of a larger initiative to end drug trafficking across Tennessee. The Metro Drug Coalition notes that the drug seizures in Knox County play an important role in preventing fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic drugs from entering the country.
The sheriff’s office seized over two pounds of fentanyl, which is enough to kill approximately 500,000 people. To put it more plainly, that’s almost the entire population of Knox County.
According to Chris Thomas, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center Director, 2024 saw a significant decline in drug-related deaths. That’s incredibly positive news since synthetic fentanyl and analogs equate to around 70% or more of all drug fatalities in the county. Fentanyl has shown to be one of the more difficult drugs to stop using because of its powerful addictive properties.
One shocking factor mentioned is that most of the street drugs are thought to be laced with fentanyl. That means people who do not even want fentanyl may accidentally be exposed to it when purchasing drugs.
Metro Drug offers fentanyl test strips that help people make sure their drugs aren’t laced with fentanyl. They also offer preventative resources and provide post recovery support.
Programs like these and others can help drug related deaths continue to decline as the data shows. The opioid crisis is still very real but people are finding recovery assistance at a greater rate and we believe change is around the corner.
