AI Insight
A study examining illicit fentanyl use in Los Angeles found that regular users consume daily doses equivalent to approximately 9,000 mg of morphine, which is hundreds of times higher than fentanyl doses administered in medical settings. This level of consumption far exceeds the dosages that current addiction treatment protocols and medications were designed to manage.
Why it matters
The findings indicate that existing medication-assisted treatment approaches for opioid use disorder may be inadequate for people using high-potency illicit fentanyl. This suggests an urgent need to redesign addiction treatment protocols and potentially develop new therapeutic strategies to effectively address fentanyl addiction at these extreme consumption levels.
People in Los Angeles who use illicit fentanyl regularly consume quantities of the drug equivalent to morphine doses hundreds of times higher than fentanyl doses used in hospitals. This use is far beyond what addiction treatment protocols were designed to address.