Fifty times more powerful than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, fentanyl can be a pain management tool when prescribed. However, in 2021 illegal use of the drug was linked to almost 1,700 fatal overdoses in Texas.
This month’s Fiscal Notes explores how the state is addressing the fentanyl crisis and protecting the 1,254-mile Texas-Mexico border to prevent illicit fentanyl from seeping across in “Fentanyl Flowing into Texas.”
Stopping illicit fentanyl is only one part of the opioid crisis. “Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council” discusses how the Comptroller-administered council came to be and its role in fighting the opioid crisis to improve the lives of Texans.
The council’s “initiatives could reflect the full spectrum of opioid response projects – from preventing opioids entering our communities to treating Texans with opioid use disorder and supporting them in long-term recovery,” says Associate Deputy Comptroller Korry Castillo.
Across Texas, organizations are taking on the important task of addressing the opioid crisis. Read about the challenges and successes.