Heroin

A fire medic holds a box containing naloxone hydrochloride which is carried in all their department's emergency response vehicles, in Akron, Ohio

With rising overdoses, British Columbia expands experimental prescription initiative

The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed the progress made in parts of Canada to curb the number of deaths caused by drug overdoses.

With rising overdoses, British Columbia expands experimental prescription initiative
an overdose naloxone kit in a woman's hands

In Vancouver, people who use drugs are supervising injections and reversing overdoses

In Vancouver, people who use drugs are supervising injections and reversing overdoses
A used container of the drug Narcan, which is used against opioid overdoses, lies on the ground in a park in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 26, 2017.

US life expectancy fell in 2016 for second year in a row

US life expectancy fell in 2016 for second year in a row
Heroin

The story of heroin shows how medicine advances ‘slowly and painfully’

The story of heroin shows how medicine advances ‘slowly and painfully’
The World

US governors discuss the opioid crisis

US governors discuss the opioid crisis
Police

The number of daily opioid overdoses in South Florida is overwhelming police

The man’s roommates found him unconscious and he was turning blue, not breathing. He was overdosing on heroin.

The number of daily opioid overdoses in South Florida is overwhelming police
Nine-year-old Tumelo shows off antiretroviral pills before taking his medication at Nkosi's Haven, south of Johannesburg. Such anti-AIDS drugs are used as part of the cheap, illegal cocktail known as "nyaope."

South Africa's new drug cocktail of choice is devastating its townships

South Africa is battling a new street drug called nyaope, which combines several substances so users can get a cheap high. But efforts to tackle the problem in the country's townships don't appear to be succeeding.

South Africa's new drug cocktail of choice is devastating its townships
The telephone number of a "spice" dealer written on a wall outside a Moscow train station.

Just 10 bucks and a phone call can get you Russia's dangerous new drug

A new drug called spice is only the latest in a series of synthetic drugs that have flooded the Russian market over the years. Offering a cheap and readily available high, Russian health experts are trying to keep kids away, but keeping up with drug dealers is proving difficult.

Just 10 bucks and a phone call can get you Russia's dangerous new drug
A small kit of supplies containing syringes, bandaids and antiseptic pads waits to be used by a drug addict inside a safe injection site on Vancouver, British Columbia's eastside August 23, 2006. Nearly a decade later, the city will be offering free heroi

Vancouver combats heroin by giving its addicts the best smack in the world

Heroin has been a major problem in Vancouver for decades. To battle it, the city has launched a new program that provides serious addicts pure heroin three times a day. Is that actually a good idea?

Vancouver combats heroin by giving its addicts the best smack in the world
Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman's tragic death is an ominous sign of heroin's expanding reach

Philip Seymour Hoffman's death reminds us of the word "overdose." But the reason there are overdoses is because there's ample supply.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's tragic death is an ominous sign of heroin's expanding reach
Palliative care patient in Pune, India.

Part V: Dispensing Comfort

Modern cancer care involves more than the latest surgical techniques and drugs; it also offers freedom from pain. Yet basic palliative care is almost nonexistent for many patients in developing countries. What is being done to bring them pain relief?

Part V: Dispensing Comfort
The World

Thai Authorities Alarmed By Drug Surge in Golden Triangle

There's been a surge of drug trafficking in the Golden Triangle. Thai police say Burma's political reforms may be indirectly resulting in increased trafficking in the border areas of Burma, Thailand and Laos.

Thai Authorities Alarmed By Drug Surge in Golden Triangle

FRONTLINE: Opium Brides in Afghanistan

Marco Werman talks with Reporter Najibullah Quraishi of our partner program FRONTLINE about his report on the growing problem in Afghanistan of young girls who are kidnapped or traded to drug smugglers when opium farmers cannot meet their debts.

FRONTLINE: Opium Brides in Afghanistan
The World

Is the Internet a Drug?

Gary Small, professor of psychiatry, talks about whether these withdrawal symptoms mean the internet can be a drug. Harper's Magazine writer McKenzie Funk wrote about how internet and video game addictions are handled in China.

Is the Internet a Drug?
The World

How an Afghan Methadone Clinic is Fighting to Counter HIV

HIV is spreading among Afghanistan's injection drug users, and a methadone clinic was recently opened in Kabul to help the problem.

How an Afghan Methadone Clinic is Fighting to Counter HIV