'Unprecedented' overdose epidemic from fentanyl in US

Painkillers containing illegally made fentanyl, a synthetic drug up to 100 times more potent than morphine, are responsible for a surge in overdose deaths in the United States, health authorities said Thursday. Pop legend Prince, who died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl in April, is the latest high-profile victim of the addictive and often-counterfeit pills that are sweeping the nation. A new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found "substantial increases in fatal synthetic opioid–involved overdoses, primarily driven by fentanyl-involved overdose deaths" in multiple states since 2013.