Tens of thousands of Americans die each year from opioid overdoses
The federal response remains sluggish and inadequate
THE GIRL looks like a typical teenager sitting on the bench of a fire station in Manchester, New Hampshire. But she is not. Just 19 years old, with acne still marking her face, she is here seeking help for opioid addiction. Already she has been hooked for four years. At 15 she started with Percocet, a prescription drug. Now homeless, these days she uses fentanyl, a cheap, synthetic opioid. After checking herself out of treatment two weeks ago, she went on a meth- and fentanyl-fuelled bender.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “The death curve”
Briefing February 23rd 2019
From the February 23rd 2019 edition
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