'This thing is the plague': US rapper Jelly Roll's stark warning for Australians

Jelly Roll has issued a stark warning for Australians about a prevalent drug.

The US rapper and singer, who has been open about his past of drug addiction and drug-related criminal activity, shared a passionate warning to his "Australian brothers and sisters" about the growing prevalence of the drug Fentanyl.

"It's sneaking into Australia very quickly, we should talk about this," he said in an interview on The Hot Hits with Nic and Loren radio show.

Watch the video above.

"I preach to y'all, as an American who now is watching this kill over 300 people a day," he continued.

Fentanyl in a potent synthetic opioid drug used for treatment for severe pain that is commonly made and sold illegally in North American drug markets for recreational use, according to the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

The drug is around "100 times stronger than morphine or about 50 times stronger than heroin" meaning "the difference between a dose and an overdose is very small", per the foundation.

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While illegally made fentanyl is still relatively rare in Australia, it has led to an epidemic in the United States.

According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, "the number of fentanyl overdose deaths in the United States more than doubled, from 8251 to 18335, between 2015 and 2016.

Per a 2024 report from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse that number was 73,838 in 2022 and 72,776 in 2023.

In Australia there were 833 fentanyl-related deaths in Australia, 37 of which were caused by illegally made fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, per the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

But there are growing concerns in Australia about the increasing risk of fentanyl use and opioid drug overdoses after a number opioid drug seizures made by the Australian Federal Police since 2022.

As someone who has seen the effects of these dangerous drugs, Jelly Roll wants Aussies to be wary.

"This thing is the plague," he continued in conversation with The Hot Hits Nic and Loren.

"I was alive for the crack era, I was alive for the pill mill era. I was a participant in both eras.

"I was a street kid. I was actively cooking and selilng crack. I was the problem.

"I was actively going to the pill mills and buying thousands of pills at a time from doctors shadily and then back and marking them up and putting them into the community.

"But none of them hold a candle to what's in fentanyl. It's scary."

The American artist has been open about his story after breaking a cycle of jail time and drug use.

He is know passionate about helping others find their way out of similar situation and has written a number of songs about "the pain of addiction".

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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