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Dec. 4, 2018 – In fact, deaths from synthetic opioids now outpace deaths from heroin or other opioid drugs in the U.S., according to federal data. But why cut heroin with fentanyl in the first place? Researchers in California say there are two reasons. “It’s cheaper than heroin, and it’s smaller, lighter and easier to smuggle,” said Sarah Mars, who studies drug addiction and policy at the University of California San Francisco. Mars and colleagues have been interviewing drug users across the country, along with some street-level dealers who also use their own products. They also delved into the research being done on drug prices and distribution patterns to answer questions about why fentanyl and fentanyl-like drugs are becoming so common.