In Harrison Township, Ohio, the community is in chains of death. Everyone seems to know someone who died of a drug overdose. Entire families have been devastated by drug addiction. Most of the bodies deposited at the local morgue are drug-related deaths. MSNBC travels to these and other small-town hells in “One Nation, Overdose,” revealing a harsh reality that is damning countless communities across the country.
Overdoses in Montgomery County are expected to double from last year. On a per capita basis, the county has the highest number of drug overdose deaths in the nation. Like many equally hard-hit communities, Montgomery County has suffered enormous economic problems in recent years, and unemployment continues to plague the community.
Law enforcement agencies, social workers and medical personnel are overwhelmed in the fight against the pandemic. “It was an event with a lot of victims,” one undertaker said. Many of them lack the resources needed to achieve significant results in this battle. They used all their manpower just to keep an eye on the dead.
The culprit behind these deaths is fentanyl, a narcotic many times stronger than heroin or morphine. The drug is especially deadly when ingested in high or pure doses by unsuspecting users. Much of the supply comes from China, flows through Mexico, and is transported to the state by skilled traffickers who have a flair for mingling with the local population.
Filmmakers are at the forefront of our modern war on drugs. Police hunt down peddlers in the streets, customs officials check suspicious packages from overseas, and therapeutic counselors go door-to-door asking users to accept their help. Viewers can also experience the horrors of addiction through the eyes of addicts in rehab and witness the ease with which people can purchase illegal drugs over the Internet.
One Nation, Overdose is an uncompromising and multifaceted look at an epidemic that continues to claim tens of thousands of lives each year and the efforts of those determined to reverse this disturbing trend.