Fentanyl is blamed for thousands of deadly overdoses each and every year, according to News 8.
Here are three things to know:
1. According to the CDC, 5,500 people died from synthetic opioid overdoses in 2014, and most of those overdoses were related to fentanyl.
2. Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin or accidentally inhaled and is 50 to 100 times more lethal than morphine and 30 to 50 times more lethal than heroin.
3. Physicians say when used as prescribed, fentanyl is a better alternative to natural opioids like morphine, codeine or heroin because it has fewer side effects.
