Colon-Berezin, C., Nolan, M. L., Blachman-Forshay, J., & Paone, D. (2019). Overdose Deaths Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs New York City, 2000–2017 https://www.jstor.org/stable/26588553 The article discusses the rising number of fatal drug overdoses in the United States, specifically due to the emergence of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) conducted routine overdose mortality surveillance and discovered a 55% increase in fatal drug overdose rates between 2015 and 2017, with fentanyl being the primary cause. The DOHMH responded to the epidemic by raising fentanyl awareness and developing risk-reduction messaging. According to the article, toxicology findings should be integrated into routine overdose surveillance, and fentanyl should be included in the literal text on death certificates. The history of fentanyl deaths is not new; fentanyl began as a medicine that was more effective than other drugs on the market; how could the medicine be a drug that is the cause of thousands of deaths?This article will help the readers of my research paper understand why and how fentanyl affected US citizens, causing significant damage to their lives.

Socías, M. E., & Wood, E. (2017). Epidemic of deaths from fentanyl overdose. BMJ: BritishMedical Journal, 358. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26941800 The article discusses how criminalization has failed to address substance abuse and addiction, particularly with the emergence of highly potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Over-reliance on law enforcement is unlikely to end the epidemic and may shift the drug market toward more potent synthetic analogs. The article emphasizes the importance of evidence-based public health solutions, solutions, such as expanding evidence-based treatment and harm reduction programs, making addiction treatment systems more accessible, and providing drug testing services Involving the affected community in the planning and implementation phases of any new strategy is also critical to reaching the most vulnerable individuals and sustaining the success of these efforts. The efforts to stop using fentanyl in the United States have failed, and another factor is at work in this crisis. The United States is currently experiencing a financial crisis, and as a result, people are having difficulty finding work, and many of them turn to fentanyl to avoid depression.

LEWIS, M. (2021). “CRIMINALIZING CHINA”. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 111(1), 145–225. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48614103 While there is evidence of Chinese trade secret theft and other crimes, the author of the writer contends that the US DOJ’s “China Initiative” is problematic and violates the foundational principles of the US criminal justice system. The author provides evidence in the form of high-level officials’ statements and the closure of the PRC consulate in Houston. The author concludes that the use of the term “China” in the Initiative is far more significant than mere branding or a means of obtaining financial resources, and it risks instilling xenophobia and criminalizing a concept. This document could help me find evidence, provide context for my research paper, and explain the conflict between China and fentanyl. To summarize, fentanyl was developed in China, but its illegal transport to the United States is unclear.

Peterson, A. B., Gladden, R. M., Delcher, & Goldberger, B. A. (2016). “Increases in Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths — Florida and Ohio, 2013–2015”. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(33), 844–849. Examines the rising prevalence of fentanyl, particularly illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), and its role in overdose deaths. The study presents findings from investigations conducted between 2013 and 2015 in Florida and Ohio, which examine the relationship between trends in fentanyl-related law enforcement submissions and fentanyl deaths and describes groups at risk for fentanyl death using medical examiner and coroner reports. The analysis shows that the significant increases in fentanyl deaths in Florida and Ohio were closely related to parallel increases in fentanyl submissions, with the greatest impact on heroin users. According to the report, IMF is frequently mixed with or sold as heroin. The researchers used three different analyses to compare trends in fentanyl deaths, submissions, and prescribing from January 2013 to June 2015. The document concludes that the rising prevalence of fentanyl necessitates ongoing monitoring and public health intervention. This document will help me understand and explain how fentanyl was introduced to the people of the US and how pharmacists view fentanyl.