Senator Tom Cotton has questioned Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines after she said that “violent extremists” rather than fentanyl pose the greatest threat to Americans right now.
Cotton enquired, “On page 33, you write, transnational, racially, or ethnically motivated violent extremists continue to pose the most lethal threat to U.S. persons and interests. Are you serious? You seriously think that racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists are the most lethal threat that Americans face?”
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Haines answered, “So, yes sir, in terms of..”
Cotton interrupted her and said, “How many people were killed by racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists in the United States last year?”
“I don’t have the exact number for you right here, but I will get it for you,” Haines responded.
“How many people were killed by fentanyl in the United States last year?” asked Cotton.
“As you know, it’s over 100,000 for fentanyl,” Haines said.
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A strong synthetic opioid medication with great painkilling properties is fentanyl. It has been shown to be a helpful therapy for those with serious illnesses like cancer and recovery from surgery because it blocks the body’s distress signals by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. It is thought to be 50–100 times more potent than morphine.
Fentanyl has a tremendous potency and, if taken improperly or excessively, may be fatal. Abusing it might result in fatal outcomes like overdose and death since it is one of the few Schedule II prohibited narcotics in the United States that has a high potential for abuse and dependency, particularly when combined with other drugs or alcohol.
In order to improve its strength, illicit fentanyl might be clumsily combined with other narcotics like heroin or cocaine, which increases the risk of overdosing. Illegal fentanyl is a deadly presence on the black market.
