US church on frontline of battle against drug known as ‘tranq’CloseAmerica has been fighting the War on Drugs for decades, but the drug cartels, the suppliers and the dealers appear to be always one step ahead of the authorities. President Trump has declared the cartels, “terrorists” and labelled fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid, a “weapon of mass destruction”.But the drug supply is changing, with other deadly synthetics being added to the mix, including strong animal tranquillisers, known on the streets as “tranq”.While overdose deaths are falling, the potency of the new drugs has recovery workers worried. For some the answer might lie in reducing demand, giving users support and helping them end their addiction.BBC international correspondent Quentin Sommerville and camera journalist Darren Conway travelled to Columbus, Ohio to find out more.Read more on this story: A wave of homemade, synthetic drugs sweeps US and deepens crisis.Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingUnited StatesFollow United Statesclose panelYou are now following United StatesUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.Drugs tradeFollow Drugs tradeclose panelYou are now following Drugs tradeUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.OpioidsFollow Opioidsclose panelYou are now following OpioidsUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.AddictionFollow Addictionclose panelYou are now following AddictionUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.FentanylFollow Fentanylclose panelYou are now following FentanylUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.OhioFollow Ohioclose panelYou are now following OhioUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.Read description
