| New wave of mutating drugs |
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| Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios |
Overdose deaths are falling. But America’s illicit drug supply is evolving into lethal cocktails: fentanyl plus stimulants, sedatives and novel synthetics that hide in party powders and pressed pills, Axios’ Russell Contreras reports. Why it matters: Those polydrug blends — with nicknames “pink cocaine,” “rhino tranq,” “benzo-dope” and others — are harder to detect, reverse and warn against. Some can even result in the loss of limbs. That makes recent overdose declines fragile and public-health victories reversible if policy, testing and treatment don’t catch up. “When we crack down on one drug, the market innovates,” Sheila Vakharia, managing director of the Department of Research and Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance, tells Axios. Catch up quick: The Trump administration has highlighted record fentanyl seizures at the southern border and credited tougher enforcement with helping drive overdose deaths down. Yes, but: Experts say the domestic drug market is adapting in real time. Targeting fentanyl has incentivized illegal drug suppliers to experiment with other compounds that bypass detection, creating what Vakharia describes as a “whack-a-mole” cycle.Keep reading. |
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