In a recent letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi sounded the alarm on the increasing number of fentanyl seizures at the southern border. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is often mixed with heroin or cocaine without the user’s knowledge, leading to deadly overdoses. “The devastating effect of this poison has been felt in every corner of our state,” wrote Bondi. She urged Sessions to take action and help stem the flow of fentanyl into Florida.

The lakeland ledger crime reported that, in the first six months of 2017, there were already more than twice as many fentanyl seizures in Florida as there were in all of 2016. The majority of these seizures were made at the Miami International Airport. However, Bondi warned that the problem is not limited to one area and that fentanyl is “quickly spreading throughout Florida.”

In her letter, Bondi detailed some of the steps that Florida has taken to combat the fentanyl problem, including increasing funding for treatment and law enforcement. She also called on Sessions to provide more resources to help with the issue. “I am committed to doing everything in my power to protect Floridians from this deadly drug, but I cannot do it alone,” she wrote.

The fentanyl surge is just one part of the larger problem of drug overdoses in Florida. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were nearly five thousand drug overdose deaths in Florida in 2016. This was an increase of more than twenty-five percent from the year before. Fentanyl was a factor in many of these deaths.

The problem of drug overdoses is not limited to Florida. According to the CDC, there were more than 64,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2016. This was an increase of twenty-two percent from the year before. The majority of these deaths were caused by opioids. Fentanyl was a factor in more than twenty thousand of these deaths.

The CDC has declared drug overdoses to be a public health emergency. In response, the Trump administration has proposed a plan to address the problem. The plan includes increased funding for treatment and prevention, as well as tougher law enforcement measures. It is not yet clear if this plan will be enough to combat the fentanyl surge or the larger problem of drug overdoses.

But Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is hopeful. “I am confident that, working together, we can turn the tide on this epidemic,” she wrote in her letter to Sessions. “But we must act now.” only way we’re going to be able to do that is by working together.”

What do you think needs to be done to combat the fentanyl surge? Share your thoughts in the comments.