America's Fentanyl Problem (Narcotics Documentary) Real Stories

Summary by Krater

This documentary explores the devastating fentanyl crisis in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, following residents, drug users, outreach workers, and medical professionals as they navigate addiction, community support, and the lethal street drug supply.

From the video

Answers: What is the impact of the fentanyl crisis in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside?

• Fentanyl overdose crisis
• Downtown Eastside Vancouver
• Harm reduction and supervised consumption sites
• Opioid addiction and street drug supply
• Needle exchange and outreach programs

What it concludes

• Fentanyl is a synthetic painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine.
• Just 2 milligrams of pure fentanyl is enough to kill the average adult.
• Fentanyl has become the number one killer drug in the US and Canada, surpassing gun violence.
• Illicit street fentanyl is often cooked by amateur gangsters in basements, resulting in wildly inconsistent purity.
• Supervised consumption and needle exchange sites save lives by reducing overdoses, transmission of blood-borne diseases, and crime.
• Prescriptive heroin (diacetylmorphine) treatment helps recidivist patients reduce illicit drug use, stay out of jail, and rebuild their lives.