Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Marijuana Are All Getting Stronger in the U.S. - Pacific Standard
▻https://psmag.com/economics/your-drugs-are-getting-stronger
Over the past few years, dealers have cut the heroin they sell in many parts of America with fentanyl, an opioid chemical that’s much more potent—and dangerous—than heroin. That’s led to a spike in overdoses and deaths. But opioids aren’t the only drugs to have become much stronger in recent years. In a new report, the Drug Enforcement Administration finds that methamphetamine and marijuana in America have also increased in strength.
The more powerful drugs are a sign of an ever-more-competitive recreational drug marketplace, driven by the rising popularity of potent opioids, RAND Corporation drug-policy researcher Rosalie Pacula told the Los Angeles Times. Punchier drugs likely also mean these products are widely available to Americans, putting traffickers under pressure to have stronger offerings, the DEA suggests in its report. If methamphetamine goes the way of opioids, that could mean more overdoses in the future, but the available data makes it hard to know yet if that’s happening.