Columbus church hosts recovery meetings amid US ‘tranq’ concerns

A church in Columbus, Ohio, is hosting weekly recovery meetings for people affected by the US drug crisis, as potent synthetic substances are increasingly found mixed into street drugs, the BBC reports. [1]

At Glenwood Church, members of the Hope Dealer Community share accounts of addiction and overdose. The group is run by Scott Sanders, who says the crisis has shifted: people buying crack may instead receive drugs mixed with fentanyl or other opioids, putting them at risk of overdose without knowing what they have taken. [1]

The BBC report says one drug sample brought in by a man it identifies as Mike tested positive for medetomidine, a synthetic animal tranquilliser also known on the street as “tranq”. The report describes medetomidine and xylazine being added to fentanyl; naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses, does not counter the effects of these sedatives. Xylazine can also cause severe skin wounds. [1]

Sanders says Hope Dealer works with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a sampling programme, in which drug-use equipment is swabbed and samples are sent to a laboratory. At the church meeting, people recount their experiences of overdose and loss, the BBC reports. [1]

The video report notes that US overdose deaths have fallen from a peak in 2022, but says recovery workers remain concerned about the potency and changing composition of the drug supply. It presents treatment and support for people with addiction as part of the response, alongside efforts to restrict supply. [2]