US church on the frontline of the battle against the drug known as 'tranq'
A BBC report from Columbus, Ohio, shows a US church taking part in the fight against 'tranq', a new synthetic drug. Overdose deaths are falling, but the potency of the newer substances worries recovery workers.
A church in Columbus, Ohio, has found itself on the frontline of the fight against a drug known on the streets as "tranq", a strong animal tranquilliser that is increasingly entering the US drug supply. BBC international correspondent Quentin Sommerville and camera journalist Darren Conway travelled there to report on the situation.
A long-running war on drugs
The United States has been fighting the War on Drugs for decades, yet the cartels, suppliers and dealers appear to be consistently one step ahead of the authorities. President Donald Trump has declared the cartels "terrorists" and labelled fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a "weapon of mass destruction".
A changing drug supply
The supply itself is changing. Other deadly synthetic substances are being added to the mix, including strong animal tranquillisers, the so-called "tranq". Although overdose deaths are falling, the potency of the new drugs has left recovery workers worried.
For some of them, the answer may lie in reducing demand: offering users support and helping them end their addiction. The BBC's report examines this approach from Columbus.
The video report is linked to a wider BBC story about a wave of homemade synthetic drugs sweeping the US and deepening the country's drug crisis.
