David has the chemical structural formula for fentanyl tattooed on his forearm: three hexagons, a few lines and the letters N, N, O. You could also use the formula for dopamine, he says. But his luck is fentanyl. One of the most dangerous drugs in the world, fifty times stronger than heroin and cheap, a pill just a dollar these days.
Just two minutes ago, the young man got his latest high in a park in the middle of downtown Portland. With swollen fingers, he held the lighter under the crumpled aluminum foil with the powder and inhaled the fumes through a tube. He didn’t notice that a police officer was standing next to him.