01HealthNorth America
BBC reports new wave of synthetic drugs in US communities
Reporting from Chicago and interviews with users and frontline workers describe a worsening crisis without quantifying its scale.
BBC describes a wave of homemade synthetic drugs deepening the US drug crisis. Its reporting draws on users, dealers, prison workers and recovery workers. A related report from Chicago describes communities confronting the influx.
What holds up
- ✓The supplied BBC items include reporting from Chicago and interviews with several groups directly exposed to the drug crisis.
- ✓Both items describe a new wave of synthetic drugs, although they come from the same outlet.
What doesn't yet
- ?The extracts name no substances and provide no mortality, toxicology or prevalence figures.
- ?The national scale and claimed worsening are not independently corroborated by another supplied outlet.
Ask before you share
- →Which substances are involved, and what laboratory evidence identifies them?
- →Do comparable health data show an increase across the US or primarily in particular communities?