Fentanyl seems to have a strange grip on the public mind these days, as breathless (often questionable) narratives around this drug are everywhere. According to the news media, this mysterious substance is appearing on shopping cart handles, in children's Halloween candy, in baby formula, and even poisoning police officers who are near it. Many media outlets push unsubstantiated rumors about this phantom menace, stoking fears that fentanyl could strike any person at any time.
Yet in all this breathless coverage, expert sources such as doctors, recovery advocates, and people who work on the front lines of America's overdose crisis and come in contact with fentanyl all the time, are rarely asked for comment.
