Deaths From Synthetic Opioids Up 72 Percent, CDC Says

Death rates from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, increased 72.2% from 2014 to 2015, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The new report confirms the dramatic increase in opioid overdoses that first responders have been seeing as they respond to overdose calls.Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin and made headlines as the drug that killed pop star Prince in April. The elephant tranquilizer carfentanil, a form of fentanyl and 10,000 times stronger than morphine, has also been claiming lives in a number of cities, as reported by local officials.