270,000 overdose deaths thrust fentanyl into heart of U.S. presidential race

Jim Rauh, founder of Families Against Fentanyl, holds a photograph of his son Thomas in Akron, Ohio, on March 4. How Trump and Biden address a lethal chapter of the U.S. drug-overdose epidemic will be pivotal in swing states that are likely to decide the election. | BLOOMBERG

by RILEY GRIFFIN, TANAZ MEGHJANI AND KATIA DMITRIEVA
March 27, 2024

To understand the 2024 U.S. presidential election, it is essential to understand the politics of fentanyl.
Americans have been traumatized by a years-long wave of overdose deaths caused by the synthetic opioid. Once rarely used outside hospitals, fentanyl has become a ubiquitous street drug made by criminal gangs, often in Mexico, from cheap chemicals typically manufactured in China. It frequently is a hidden ingredient in other illicit drugs and can have fatal consequences for unsuspecting users.

Ending the scourge, voters indicate, is a high priority.