Overdose deaths fall as new drug potency worries recovery workers
A BBC News video report published Oct. 20 brings viewers to Columbus, Ohio, where a church is on the frontline of the battle against the drug known as ‘tranq.’ International correspondent Quentin Sommerville and camera journalist Darren Conway traveled to the city for the report.
The report’s backdrop is a decades-long national struggle: America has been fighting the War on Drugs for decades, but the drug cartels, the suppliers and the dealers appear to be always one step ahead of the authorities.
President Trump has declared the cartels ‘terrorists’ and labeled fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid, a ‘weapon of mass destruction,’ the report notes.
The drug supply is changing, the report says, with other deadly synthetics being added to the mix — including strong animal tranquillisers, known on the streets as ‘tranq.’
While overdose deaths are falling, the potency of the new drugs has recovery workers worried, according to the report.
For some, the answer might lie in reducing demand, giving users support and helping them end their addiction, the report says.
The broadcaster’s related coverage describes a wave of homemade, synthetic drugs sweeping the US and deepening the crisis.