and in the second phase, that evolved into the demand and use of heroin. the black market got very competitive, and fentanyl came into the mix. fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, cheaper to manufacturer, easier to hide, harder to detect. it became popular in the black market as a substitute for the real thing, so to speak, and small quantities go a long way. a lot of people started to die accidentally. they didn t know what they were taking had fentanyl in it or they thought they were taking another pain medication. that s why we see the tragedy you see in the news. those that find fentanyl lacing, where, what drugs, what are people taking when they don t know that fentanyl is actually in there and it kills them? well, you know, the way the black market works, and i know this being an addiction medicine doctor working on the front line