Ohio report examines fentanyl and animal tranquiliser crisis

A special report from Columbus, Ohio, has examined America's long war on drugs and the changing threat from potent synthetic opioids. It says drug cartels, suppliers and dealers remain one step ahead of authorities. Deadly synthetics are being added to the mix, including strong animal tranquilisers known on the street as tranq.

The report, by international correspondent Quentin Sommerville and camera journalist Darren Conway, focuses on Ohio, which it says has some of the highest overdose rates in America. It describes the state as ground zero for the country's opioid crisis. In an Ohio church, a recovery group led by Scott Sanders brings together survivors. When Sanders asks how many people in the room have overdosed, many raise their hands.

The group has endured an opioid crisis that has taken more than half a million American lives. One person says they overdosed nine times in 20 months on fentanyl and that their marijuana was laced with the drug. Another says they lost a nephew to a heroin overdose while they were dying in their own home. Survivors describe addiction today as much more dangerous than in the past. Drugs are mixed with fentanyl, meth and other adulterants, including chemicals made in basements. The report says the drug supply is ultra-potent and sold on neighbourhood corners for a few dollars.

Mike, a 48-year-old Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, allowed the team to follow his daily routine in the back streets and alleyways of Columbus. He has been battling opioid addiction for 20 years. He says the drug will make you do anything, including robbing your own mother or father, and some people rob their babies. He describes the effects as immediate, overwhelming and potentially fatal, and says you cannot take a hit back, like a gunshot.

Mike says he did not expect to return from Afghanistan to a life like this. He says tranq knocks you out and makes it easier to die. The report says fentanyl packed with xylazine can kill immediately. Mike smokes fentanyl every day and can tell his drugs have been cut with something else. After testing, an animal tranquiliser known as tranq was detected in the drugs he uses, the report says.

The report also sets out the policy response. It says the administration is targeting suppliers, tightening the border and trying to make life more difficult for the cartels. But on the streets of Columbus, Mike sees no difference. He says there has been no increase in prices and no lack of supply or demand. The number of addicts is the same as last year, he says. The report concludes that unless America beats addiction at home, the war on drugs will not be won.