Louisiana Struggles with Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking

Clinically Reviewed by Matt Hawk ICAADC, CACII, Written by Narconon Staff Writer

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Louisiana is situated between major drug corridors along the Southwest Border and profitable sales markets along the East Coast and in the Midwest. This means that Louisiana is subjected to heavy transshipment of drugs, mostly along the Interstate systems of I-10, I-20, I-49, and I-55. Drugs, illegal aliens, cash, and weapons travel along the routes. Whenever there is this kind of transshipment, that means plenty of that supply will be siphoned off for Louisianans.

The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that fentanyl is the biggest threat to this area, followed by methamphetamine. Fentanyl is frequently found in counterfeit pills manufactured by drug dealers. With powdered fentanyl, a coloring agent, some binder, and a pill press, anyone can produce pills that look like legitimate pharmaceutical products but that actually contain a fatal dose of fentanyl.

Making matters worse, a growing number of overdose deaths in the state are attributed to the synthetic sedative xylazine, nicknamed “tranq.” Xylazine is known for creating a stupor that incapacitates the drug user. Xylazine is often mixed with fentanyl and slows the breathing and heart rate. When mixed with fentanyl, it increases the risk of a fatal overdose. Xylazine does not respond to naloxone (Narcan) like fentanyl does, which can make treating an overdose difficult.

Louisiana Struggles with Overdose Deaths

Louisiana’s fatal overdose deaths stayed under 1,000 per year until October 2016. The number of deaths crept up for the next two years to 1,212 and then slumped slightly. When the pandemic started, overdose deaths sat at 1,388 per twelve-month period. They nearly doubled by June 2022, reaching 2,556 in twelve months. The number of deaths began to decline after that, reaching 1,942 in June 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the overdose deaths in 2023 totaled 2,456. Of these deaths, 1,130 involved an opioid. Overwhelmingly, the opioid taking lives was fentanyl.

Louisiana Parishes’ Health Facilities Feel the Strain

The highest rates of death occurred in Orleans, East Baton Rouge, and Jefferson Parishes. Following those parishes were Caddo, Lafayette, Calcasieu, Livingston, Tangipahoa, Ouachita, St. Tammamy, and Rapides Parishes.

The number of deaths does not fully express the strain on the state’s finances and facilities. There were also nearly 14,000 emergency room visits as a result of drug overdoses. More than 4,000 of these individuals were admitted to the hospital for further care.

Most of those going to the ER were between the ages of 35 to 44, and nearly 40% were women.

The kind of drug sending the largest number of people to the ER was opioids. Some months, nearly half the visits were due to this category of drug. In 2022, only about one in eleven of these ER visits by women was due to heroin. Only one in 16 visits by men was due to heroin.

As a sign of how rapidly (and recently) fentanyl has replaced heroin, in 2021, 535 women and 1,542 men went to the ER for heroin overdoses. By 2022, the numbers had dropped to 149 for women and 249 for men.

The next drug sending people to the ER was stimulants, mostly methamphetamine, but the numbers were much lower. However, the biggest problem is still fentanyl, which can be found in just about every other illicit drug. One officer with the Baton Rouge Police Department reported large numbers of counterfeit pills on the street. “We’re seeing those on the streets of Baton Rouge, but we also see fentanyl in powder form and mixed in with just about every other illicit drug now. Methamphetamine—everything pretty much contains fentanyl now.”

An investigator for Blue Cross Blue Shield reported on the impact of these illicit drugs on college students who may seek out marijuana or Adderall, the prescription stimulant sometimes prescribed to students who have difficulty focusing. “If they share Adderall, if they get Adderall from a source other than a legitimate pharmacy, seven out of 10 of those pills are gonna be laced with fentanyl and be lethal,” she said.

Biggest Fentanyl Seizure in the State Took Place in Baton Rouge

In August of 2024, a house on Vermillion Drive in Baton Rouge was raided as part of a multi-location law enforcement action. Vermillion Drive is in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood far to the east of Baton Rouge. Drive down the street, and you’ll see neat yards and modest homes. One of those modest homes yielded 181 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill 42 million people. Also seized were Adderall, heroin, Xanax, guns, and a pill press used to make counterfeit prescription drugs.

The problems with fentanyl continue unabated, with another seizure of fentanyl-laden fake pills, methamphetamine, and oxycodone in Tangipahoa Parish in November 2024. Nearly 45 pounds of drugs and 100,000 pills were seized in this raid.

Will Pharmaceutical Settlement Money Solve the Problem?

In September 2024, Louisiana was slated to start receiving millions of dollars from settlements between the states and pharmaceutical companies. These settlements were the result of lawsuits filed by thousands of states, counties, cities, hospitals, unions, and other groups against the pharmaceutical companies responsible for fraudulently marketing or distributing opioid drugs.

In all, $600 million is due to arrive in state coffers. Will these funds solve the problem? Or even alleviate it? That depends on where the money is spent. Drug abuse and addiction must be combatted on three fronts: interdiction, rehabilitation, and prevention. If Louisiana uses these funds on actions that have had positive, lasting results in all three areas, then Louisianans may well see progress in their state.

Finding Help for Louisianans Who Are Addicted

For nearly 60 years, the innovative Narconon program has enabled tens of thousands of people around the world to recover from addiction. The Narconon program not only addresses the debilitating effects of drug abuse on the mind and body but also resolves why a person turned to drugs in the first place.

As each person completes the steps of this program, they can recover from the cravings and guilt they suffered due to their addictions. They also receive life skills training so they make sober decisions and enjoy productive lives. Learn why this drug-free program could be the last program your loved one ever needs.