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Mexican officials met Tuesday [July 25] with U.S. and Canadian officials in Mexico to talk about combating the trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. To get a better understanding of the problem, VOA visited addicts and a counselor from a harm reduction center in Washington. Júlia Riera has the story
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PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Fentanyl Crisis - Riera
HEAD: Fentanyl Addict: 'People Don't Choose to Have This'
TEASER: Former fentanyl users in Washington share stories of overcoming addiction
PUBLISHED AT: 08/03/2023 at 8:45am
BYLINE: Júlia Riera
CONTRIBUTOR: Júlia Riera
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Júlia Riera, Nathaly Salas Guaithero
TRANSLATOR/VIDEO EDITOR: Veronica Villafañe
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Reuters, AP, AFP
PLATFORMS: (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs; Reifenrath
TRT: 2:45
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO))
[[Mexican officials met Tuesday [July 25] with U.S. and Canadian officials in Mexico to talk about combating the trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. To get a better understanding of the problem, VOA visited addicts and a counselor from a harm reduction center in Washington. Júlia Riera has the story.]]
((NAT))
"Hello dear, how are you?"
((Megan DeFranco, Former Fentanyl Addict))
“I originally was prescribed prescription opioids for many years, and then, with the loss of insurance and stricter regulations, it was easier just to, you know, just get them from somebody on the street.”
((NARRATION))
Megan DeFranco is among the 75% of opioid addicts that the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, says were introduced to opioids through a prescription.
((Megan DeFranco, Former Fentanyl Addict))
“People don’t choose to have this. I thought what I was using was prescribed.”
((NARRATION))
The drug OxyContin once dominated the legal and illegal opioid market, but today, fentanyl, most of it illegally produced, is behind most opioid-related deaths, according to the NIH.
Johnny Bailey works for a group in Washington that provides help for drug users. It's called HIPS, which stands for "Honoring Individual Power and Strength."
((Johnny Bailey, HIPS Community Outreach Coordinator))
“Fentanyl now is essentially in everything. Over 90% of the overdoses that are fatal are fentanyl.”
((NARRATION))
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
((NAT))
((Johnny Bailey, HIPS Community Outreach Coordinator))
“It is so depressing sometimes because you’re just inundated with death and like poverty and stuff."
((NARRATION))
It took the death of someone close to DeFranco to get her to stop using. She began a detox program at HIPS.
((Megan DeFranco, Former Fentanyl Addict))
“Recovery, I’m not going to say it was perfect because, you know, you have the angel-devil…. But I was able to pull through. So, it took a few times, it took a few tries… But it is an epidemic, just like anything else.”
((NARRATION)))
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says between 40 to 60 percent of people who try to quit using opioids relapse. Johnny Bailey is a recovered addict.
((NAT))
((Johnny Bailey, HIPS Community Outreach Coordinator))
“I'm coming up on 10 years. And when I got myself together, I went back to school to get a social work degree because my mission was to be able to bring the things to people that I wish I had. I went from being unemployed in a squat, high school dropout, separated, to having my marriage be fantastic."
((NARRATION))
Opioids are a global problem, particularly in the U.S., where they are the leading cause of U.S. overdose deaths, according to the CDC.
((Júlia Riera, for VOA News, Washington.)))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateAugust 3, 2023 08:45 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
