Fentanyl Is The Biggest Public Health Problem Currently Facing The U.S.: Federal, State, And Local Governments Aren’t Doing Enough To Combat It While the U.S. has been battling the Covid-19 pandemic it’s gotten lost in the shuffle that the nation endured record numbers of drug overdose-related deaths. Illicit fentanyl is the primary culprit. Federal, state, and local governments aren't doing enough to combat this massive problem.