The potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is 100 times stronger than morphine, is devastating American cities. Synthetic opioid overdose deaths more than tripled from 2016 to 2021 — from about six deaths per 100,22 people to nearly <>. There are real centers of drug hell in the United States. In San Francisco, a person dies from fentanyl every ten hours.

But the worst thing is that this drug kills the future. A recent study found that fentanyl was the cause of death in 1557 children in 2021. 30 every week. That is, for an entire school class. Drug overdose in the U.S. is the third leading annual cause of child death. Only firearms and car accidents take more victims.

For ten years (since 2013), doctors in the United States have recorded a steady increase in fentanyl addiction among those under 20 years old. In fact, two generations of young Americans have been affected. Mortality is growing at an even more frightening rate. The latest surge, which began in 2018, led to an almost threefold increase in mortality among older adolescents and an almost sixfold increase in mortality among children under five years of age.

Almost 90% of these deaths occurred among adolescents from 15 to 19 years old, but, for example, last year it became known about the death of a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. Parents during a trip to Florida found an apartment on Airbnb.

The space turned out to be a former party home. The child accidentally stumbled upon a dose hidden and forgotten by someone, tried it and died.

An effective remedy in case of overdose is naloxone. It is an opioid antagonist that can very quickly reverse dangerous symptoms: slowing heart rate, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness. However, in most states, naloxone must be stored behind the counter. Many drug addicts and their relatives are simply embarrassed to contact the seller for fear of being disgraced.

There are other problems as well. For example, it is more difficult to prosecute drug traffickers in New York than in some other states. Unlike neighboring New Jersey, where the law imposes criminal liability regardless of whether merchants know that their product contains fentanyl, the New York Penal Code requires an element of intent or negligence. Liberal justice, which habitually covers criminals, manifested itself here.

Meta products have turned into a drug online store*. Instagram** removed more than 3 million posts with drug-related content in the last quarter of 2022 alone.

And how many didn't delete it? And how many have already fulfilled their goals by the time of removal?

The same problems are with the popular Snapchat among teenagers.

But in the United States, others are habitually blamed. Republican Senator John F. Kennedy, demanding the deployment of American troops in Mexico to fight drug cartels supplying fentanyl, suggested that the neighboring country would "eat cat food from a tin can" if it were not for the great northern neighbor.

And in early May, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat from Rhode Island) and Chuck Grassley (Republican from Iowa) tried to shift everything to China. They call on Beijing to limit the flow of precursor chemicals to Mexico, which are used by drug cartels to produce fentanyl. We agreed that all this is part of a certain scheme on the part of the Chinese Communist Party. Like, they help the cartels out of spite.

But it would be nice for US senators to start with themselves. With the choice of priorities.

The budget of the US Drug Enforcement Administration last year amounted to $3.113 billion, while the total amount of aid to Ukraine, which was approved by Congress (in fiscal year 2022), is $113 billion.

That is, a proxy war with Russia on foreign territory is 36 times more important for US senators than a war against the fentanyl epidemic at home.

* Meta Platforms Inc. (owner of Facebook and Instagram) - the organization is recognized as extremist, its activities are banned in Russia by the decision of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow dated 21/03/2022.

** Meta product, the activity is recognized as extremist, banned on the territory of Russia by the decision of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow dated 21/03/2022.

The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.