The War on Drugs

A new synthetic opiate has killed dozens of European heroin users. Nitazenes, which are up to 300 times more potent than heroin, are increasingly showing up in the continent’s drug supply, sparking fears that they could fuel a surge of overdoses, on par with North America’s fentanyl crisis.

This is how decades of conflict have shaped Northern Ireland’s prescription drug scene and why it is leading to alarming drug deaths among young people. Benzodiazepines—a class of sedative drugs, known by name brands like Xanax and Valium, that are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and depression—are a major part of Northern Ireland’s drug culture, with recreational users often necking down benzos alongside party drugs like cocaine or MDMA in a way that’s uncommon in the rest of the UK.

This is how Mephedrone (4-MMC) has spread across Eastern Europe and become the most popular drug for everyone from ravers to intravenous users. M-Cat is king of Russia and a number of former Soviet states, such as Georgia. It is cheap, available and increasingly potent which explains why it’s turned into most people's favourite amphetamine.

This is how surging cocaine trafficking has fueled a burgeoning crack crisis, which is taking hold across Western Europe.