In brief
A surge of cheap synthetic drugs, including the powerful tranquiliser called tranq, is spreading across the United States despite a decline in overdose deaths in 2025. The federal government has designated many drug cartels as terrorist organisations, though the real‑world impact continues to grow in communities on the South Side of Chicago. Local residents and activists are confronting the crisis head‑on, mobilising community‑based responses that echo the resilience strategies of indigenous peoples worldwide. The situation signals an urgent need for culturally informed interventions and a larger conversation about drug policy, public health and stewardship of the land.
Synthetic drugs are flooding the United States, raising alarm that a long‑standing drug crisis could surge again.
The federal administration has recently named multiple drug cartels as terrorist groups, but the real danger now lies in inexpensive, powerful synthetic compounds such as tranq, a substance derived from an animal tranquilliser.
In 2025 overdose fatalities dropped from a peak of 110,000 in 2022 to around 70,000, yet the rise of these new substances threatens to reverse that progress.
The BBC’s Quentin Sommerville reports from the South Side of Chicago, where residents, local leaders and health workers are orchestrating a grassroots response to curb the spread of synthetic drugs.
While the crisis predominantly plays out in urban neighborhoods, many indigenous communities across the country view the escalation as a looming threat to traditional ways of life, public health and stewardship of the land.
Community‑based initiatives that draw on ancient knowledge of plants, healing practices and collective action offer a model for mitigating harm; such approaches keep people connected to cultural heritage while addressing immediate dangers.
For deeper insight into the national scale of the synthetic drug wave and possible solutions, see the BBC’s full coverage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/66334064.
