ACSH Applauds Media Awareness of the Fentanyl Crisis

By Hank Campbell — Jun 24, 2016
We have been writing and testifying about fentanyl — a much more powerful version of heroin — for years. We've termed it "The Devil in the Room" and we're pleased that mainstream media and government policy makers finally started to pay attention to the advance thinking we've brought to the national discussion of this important topic.

cropped-12227811_1078949862145056_5447529438887493859_n.pngYesterday's front page article in the Wall Street Journal told a frightening tale about what is arguably the most dangerous street drug we have ever seen — fentanyl, a much more powerful version of heroin.

For those who have been following the work of the American Council on Science and Health, nothing in the story should come as a surprise. We have been writing and testifying about "The Devil in the Room" for years. That term was coined by Dr. Josh Bloom, our Senior Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, when we testified at the FDA about the opioid crisis in the United States.

While others blamed pharmaceutical companies, doctors and the FDA itself for opioid addiction and resulting narcotics overdoses, Dr. Bloom was the only speaker to identify the real cause of the spike in deaths — it wasn't heroin, it was fentanyl, a much more dangerous and cheaper alternative. Afterwards, the Wall Street Journal called us to get detailed information on the subject. Josh was happy to help, and many others have followed suit.

While the absence of other testimony about "The Devil" was be puzzling, it shouldn't have been to our readers. We're here to address these difficult topics; it is an essential part of our mission to be trusted guides for the public. We have been writing about the looming fentanyl crisis since 2014.

I'm just happy that mainstream media and government policy makers finally started to pay attention.

If you are a reader here, you already know why they listen, but you also know that while the political science majors who are hired by anti-science groups to promote fear and doubt about medicine come cheap, real scientists and doctors do not.

So please spread the word about us. We get the generous support of foundations and also some from corporations that appreciate the fact that we stand up for evidence-based thinking. But, 99.9 percent of our donors are individuals just like you. If you like what we do, you can send a check or use a credit card, and pass our work along to other people who want to support politically agnostic science.

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