A study published this week in the International Journal of Drug Policy, with NDEWS Deputy Director Dr. Joseph Palamar lead author and co-authors NIDA T32 fellow Dr. Fitzgerald, former HIDTA site Director Mr. Carr, NDEWS Director Dr. Cottler and SAG member Dr. Ciccarone, compared regional trends in fentanyl seizures to examine potential shifts in illicit fentanyl availability. The results showed that the percentage of seizures in pill form in the US increased from 10.3% in 2017 to 49% in 2023 with 115.6 million individual pills seized. The plurality of seizures was in the West, with 77.8% of seizures in the West being in pill form. The authors note that continued monitoring of regional shifts in the fentanyl supply can help inform targeted prevention and public health response. Read the study here. View the state-level 2023 data table here. View the Altmetric score here. County-level data is available upon request.
If you are interested in the authors presenting state or county-level data, please contact us at ndews-cc@ufl.edu.
For news coverage on this study, including quotes from NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow, see:
Press release from NIDA
Press release from NYU Langone Health
The New York Times
CNN
The Hill
Time
The Guardian