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.
The United States is experiencing an escalating crisis with homemade, synthetic drugs flooding the market. Mike, a 48-year-old army veteran, smokes a drug from an alley in Columbus, Ohio, describing its potent effects. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is often mixed with other substances like synthetic tranquillisers, making overdose recovery more challenging.
Naloxone, a nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, has proven effective but may not work when combined with certain synthetic drugs. In Columbus, 78% of fatal overdoses involve stimulants. Recovery groups, such as the Hope Dealers Community, gather weekly to share their harrowing experiences. In Illinois, a dealer admits to selling fentanyl mixed with other drugs in a market driven by cartels, causing a rise in overdose deaths.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
