DEA Releases 2016 Drug Threat Assessment

The Drug Enforcement Administration's 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment details the extent to which illicit drugs are affecting the United States. The assessment illuminates the nationwide opioid epidemic, that is fueling a growing heroin user population and resulting in a greater amount of overdoses. The problem has been exacerbated by the reemergence of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid which is more potent than heroin. The report also found that Mexican transnational criminal organizations continue to act as the biggest criminal drug threat to the U.S. and are the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. View the DEA announcement at https://www.dea.gov/divisions/hq/2016/hq120616.shtml. Download the assessment summary at https://www.dea.gov/resource-center/2016 NDTA Summary.pdf.