Arabic version: شيكاغو تواجه تهديداً متصاعداً من المخدرات الاصطناعية

According to BBC News, communities on Chicago’s South Side are confronting a new wave of synthetic drugs that is raising fears of a worsening crisis across the United States.

Authorities are increasingly concerned about cheaper and more powerful substances, including an animal tranquilliser known as tranq. The BBC’s Quentin Sommerville reported from the frontlines in Chicago, where communities are battling the effects of the drug crisis.

Drug overdose deaths in the United States have declined from a peak of around 110,000 in 2022 to roughly 70,000 last year. Despite that fall, the country’s decades-long drug crisis may be accelerating as synthetic drugs spread.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump pledged a crackdown on drug cartels and proscribed many of them as terrorist organisations. The BBC report highlights concern that the changing drug supply could intensify the challenge facing affected neighbourhoods.