Fentanyl, an overprescribed opioid for people with severe chronic pain or undergoing surgery, is one of the most abused substances on the streets today. It is many times stronger than heroin, but also more dangerous. As the death toll continues to climb, VICE News travels to Canada, where they witness the horrors of fentanyl addiction from the inside.
Dopesick: Fetanyl’s Deadly Grip is a tough and gloomy viewing experience, but a must. We meet all kinds of addicts – some as young as 14 – whose lives are spiraling out of control. Many are homeless and hopeless. Because the effects of the drugs are short-lived, they spend every waking minute looking for the next cure. After their addiction, dreams are shattered, relationships broken, and potential diminished.
Most of their supply comes from non-drug pills imported from China. But regardless of their origin, their destructive effects are universal. We see the extreme toll that addiction and the inevitable withdrawal process can take on the mind and body. We see how far abusers will go to get their next dose. Most heartbreakingly, we see humanity and hope gleam in each of the film’s afflicted subjects as they battle an inescapable demon.
We also have access to community treatment centers to hear from compassionate counselors and medical staff who are desperate to stop the unbridled spread of this epidemic. Like the addicts themselves, these intrepid professionals grapple with seemingly insurmountable odds. Their facilities are often overcrowded, and most of their patients fail to kick the deadly habit. In Alberta alone, 300 people died from fentanyl abuse last year. Shocking as this statistic may seem, it is only a snapshot of a widespread disease that is currently infecting the most diverse and unexpected parts of the world.
A remarkably effective investigative report, LSD: The Deathstroke of Fentanyl provides an insightful portrait of a problem that won’t go away and can no longer be ignored.
Directed by: Shawney Cohen
