Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday warned of a new problem presented by the nation's drug abuse epidemic: the threat of law enforcement officers accidentally overdosing.

Officers and paramedics are increasingly coming in contact with potent synthetic opioids that can be dangerous and deadly, a troubling side effect of the United States' opioid crisis.

Even very small amounts of drugs such as carfentanil and fentanyl, which investigators are finding in powder form or laced into other drugs, can be lethal. Although DEA does not keep data quantifying the problem...