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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday January 28 2018, @04:10PM   Printer-friendly
from the the-gray-web dept.

With Google, Bitcoins, and USPS, Feds realize it's stupid easy to buy fentanyl

A congressional report released Wednesday lays out just how easy it is for Americans to buy the deadly opioid fentanyl from Chinese suppliers online and have it shipped to them via the government's own postal service. The report also lays out just how difficult the practice will be to stop.

After Googling phrases such as "fentanyl for sale," Senate investigators followed up with just six of the online sellers they found. This eventually led them to 500 financial transaction records, accounting for about $766 million worth of fentanyl entering the country and at least seven traceable overdose deaths.

[...] "Thanks to our bipartisan investigation, we now know the depth to which drug traffickers exploit our mail system to ship fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the United States," Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said in a statement. "The federal government can, and must, act to shore up our defenses against this deadly drug and help save lives."

Related: Opioid Addiction is Big Business
Heroin, Fentanyl? Meh: Carfentanil is the Latest Killer Opioid
Tip for Darknet Drug Lords: Don't Wear Latex Gloves to the Post Office
Cop Brushes Fentanyl Off Uniform, Overdoses
Congress Reacts to Reports that a 2016 Law Hindered DEA's Ability to go after Opioid Distributors
Opioid Crisis Official; Insys Therapeutics Billionaire Founder Charged; Walgreens Stocks Narcan


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @11:53AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @11:53AM (#629788)

    The people who abuse drugs and die made their own choice. It's great to try to mitigate that harm, but not at the expense of people who actually do need those drugs.

    Until that drug addict comes along and clobbers you in the head to get your wallet so they can satisfy their next hit? You wouldn't give a fuck about either, right?

    Harm reduction is NOT only to the drug user. It's the cost of the entire society that matters in policies like that.

  • (Score: 2) by sjames on Monday January 29 2018, @04:05PM

    by sjames (2882) on Monday January 29 2018, @04:05PM (#629845) Journal

    If proper treatment programs are in place, an addict won't need my wallet to get the next hit. Opiates are actually pretty cheap once you get law enforcement out of it.