MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
More good news in the fight to cut drug overdose deaths here in the U.S. A growing number of experts believe that deadly street fentanyl is suddenly drying up in many parts of the country. Fentanyl is harder to find. It is more expensive, and it's being sold in a form that's weaker, less potent. Some researchers believe these changes are driving a national drop in drug deaths. We're going to talk this through with NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann. Hey, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.
KELLY: OK, tell me more about what exactly we think is happening with fentanyl.
MANN: So fentanyl is really the drug, Mary Louise, that drove the unprecedented wave of deaths. The U.S. peaked at about 113,000 fatal overdoses just last year. And even when people overdose on other drugs like methamphetamines or cocaine, it's often because those drugs have fentanyl kind of mixed in. For years, fentanyl was everywhere, super-cheap. And experts described it as so easy to make and smuggle, it really seemed unstoppable. But now what's different is suddenly researchers say fentanyl is a lot harder to buy in many parts of the U.S.
KELLY: So what does that mean for people who use fentanyl?
MANN: Well, in some cities like Los Angeles and Portland, experts say there's a dramatic change. The fentanyl that's available is often being sold heavily cut. Sometimes there's almost no fentanyl in the powder. I spoke with Morgan Godvin. She's a researcher based in California who studies street drug supply.
MORGAN GODVIN: People are reporting getting dope sick, going into withdrawal despite smoking fentanyl because what they are using is such low-percentage fentanyl. And everyone is searching and going through different suppliers, and the daily amount that they're spending trying to stay well has skyrocketed.
MANN: Now, no one knows how long this big shift in fentanyl supply will last. But for now, Godvin says people are paying a lot more for these drugs, having to buy more and more doses of fentanyl because it is so heavily diluted, so weak.
KELLY: OK, let me stop you and ask the obvious question. Why? Do we know why fentanyl is, A, so much weaker and, B, getting so much harder to find?
MANN: There's a big debate underway right now over this question. Over the last four years, the Biden administration has been attacking the global fentanyl supply chain. And it may mean less of this drug is getting into the U.S. and more is being seized before it reaches the streets. The U.S. has put pressure on China to reign in chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors. The U.S. scored some big arrests over the last year of drug kingpins.
And facing all that pressure, the Mexican cartels actually promise to stop producing fentanyl. Most experts don't buy that. They don't think drug gangs have actually given up pushing fentanyl. It's just too profitable. But Vanda Felbab-Brown, who studies drug organizations at the Brookings Institution, thinks the cartels may be deliberately trying to make less potent, less lethal versions of fentanyl.
VANDA FELBAB-BROWN: So it could even be their decision at the wholesale supply level to be adulterating fentanyl to reduce mortality. And if that is the case, that is still a very significant accomplishment.
MANN: And overdose deaths linked to fentanyl have dropped 10% over the last year, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some states, like Ohio and Missouri, the drop is even more dramatic. Some researchers think a big part of the improvement is linked to this drop in fentanyl supply and purity.
KELLY: Let me turn you to politics. Fentanyl has been an issue in the presidential race. When you tell me good news like this, that you're tracking fewer overdose deaths and less fentanyl on the street, how is that getting talked about on the campaign trail?
MANN: The candidates aren't talking about it yet. These changes are relatively new. And so far, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump aren't talking about things getting better. In part, it reflects the fact that the fentanyl crisis is still so serious. You know, some states aren't seeing these improvements yet.
And fentanyl is frightening to a lot of people. During her visit to the Arizona-Mexico border, Harris called fentanyl a scourge and promised to double down on efforts to stop it. Trump fired back, accusing Harris of wanting to legalize street fentanyl, which isn't true. He's repeated false claims linking fentanyl to concerns about immigration and the border. So far, there is this disconnect between what voters are hearing and improvements in the overdose crisis.
KELLY: Well, thank you for getting us up to speed. NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann. Thanks.
MANN: Thank you.
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