Chicago fights new synthetic drug wave as tranq spreads — SkimNews
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- President Donald Trump pledged a crackdown on drug cartels earlier this year, proscribing many as terrorist organizations
- Drug overdose deaths fell from a peak of around 110,000 in 2022 to roughly 70,000 last year, but authorities fear synthetic drugs could reverse that progress
- Authorities are increasingly concerned about cheaper, more powerful synthetic drugs, including an animal tranquilizer called tranq
- BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville reports from South Side, Chicago, where communities are battling the crisis on the frontlines
- America's decades-long drug crisis may be accelerating as a new wave of synthetic drugs sweeps across the United States, the BBC reports
Why it matters: Even as overall US overdose deaths dropped sharply—from roughly 110,000 in 2022 to about 70,000 last year—the spread of cheaper, more powerful synthetic alternatives like tranq risks reversing that progress, meaning the recent gains in the opioid fight may be short-lived if enforcement and treatment efforts don't keep pace with the shifting drug supply.
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