At least here in upstate New York, there aren't really 'fent addicts'. There are opioid addicts in general, but even the hardcore users are generally seeking heroin, not fentanyl.
People are _really_ scared of fentanyl...
One was a nurse, and the other a janitor. (They took the used patches out of the garbage.).
(That said, we should legalize at least bupenorpine, the generic version. Addicts would have an alternative to street drugs, and doctors who just charge too much. Plus--drug education should be taught early in school. And tell the truth. Like for nine months, the drugs will work. Then you will spend years just trying to feel the way you did before you took opiates:; if you're lucky.)
When talking about drugs, 'generic' refers to a nonpatented version of the same substance; buprenorphine isn't the same substance as fentanyl.
Buprenorphine and fentanyl are _very_ different drugs.
Like many other medications, there is a reason this requires a prescription.
It has a half-life of a few days, people die from overdoses like any other opioid and sometimes they make the mistake of having a drink (or a few) while it is in their system, which could kill them as well.
Overdoses of buprenorphine require exorbitant amounts of Naloxone to keep a patient breathing because of its half-life.
Nalaxone has a half-life of an hour or two in a healthy adult. Right now, a single metered and prepared dose of Nalaxone is roughly $4,500. [1]
> doctors who just charge too much
I agree. Suboxone is a racket, doctors need special licensing to prescribe it and they know they can charge desperate, dying people enormous amounts of money to treat them.
[1] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-price-hik...