A wave of homemade, synthetic drugs sweeps US and deepens crisis
BBC News hears from users, dealers, prison and recovery workers as the country battles with a deadly new drug epidemic.
In Columbus, Ohio, 48-year-old army veteran Mike smokes a synthetic opioid called fentanyl that is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is often cut with synthetic tranquillisers, making it difficult to revive overdose victims. The use of Naloxone, a nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, has helped reduce fatal overdoses in the United States, but the number remains at around 70,000 last year.
Despite this progress, the opioid crisis continues. Mike's drug use involves not just fentanyl but also other synthetic drugs such as Xylazine and Medetomidine, which slow breathing and can cause necrotic skin ulcers. In a weekly recovery meeting at Glenwood Church in Columbus, members share their experiences with overdoses, including one man who overdosed in July 2022 and required multiple attempts at naloxone to save his life.
In Chicago, a dealer affiliated with the Mexican cartels admits to selling fentanyl mixed with other synthetic drugs and adulterants produced in basements. The drug supply in the United States today is a complex mixture of various synthetic drugs, making it difficult for users to know what they are consuming.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
