Families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl share their experiences alongside people in recovery, medical professionals, and advocates working across Virginia. Their stories explore counterfeit and fentanyl-laced drugs, the realities of overdose and grief, and the different paths people take toward recovery. The program also visits organizations providing treatment, peer support, and other recovery services while highlighting efforts to raise awareness about fentanyl and help families better understand the risks surrounding an increasingly dangerous drug supply.
Canada’s toxic drug crisis is examined through families who have lost loved ones, people who use drugs, frontline workers, and harm-reduction advocates. The program looks at the growing presence of fentanyl in the unregulated drug supply and visits overdose prevention and drug-checking services working to reduce deaths. Produced for an Australian audience, it also considers what Canada’s experience could mean for Australia as debates continue around supervised consumption, safer supply, decriminalization, treatment, and how governments should respond to an increasingly unpredictable drug supply.
Personal stories, expert insight, and practical prevention strategies come together in this examination of the opioid crisis and its impact on families. Medical professionals, law enforcement, parents, and recovery advocates discuss prescription opioid addiction, the growing threat of fentanyl and counterfeit pills, and the importance of educating young people about substance use. Alongside stories of addiction, trauma, and loss, the program looks at what parents can do to build trust, encourage open communication, recognize risks, and help protect their children.
Arizona's opioid epidemic is explored through the experiences of people whose addiction began with legally prescribed painkillers. The film follows patients, families, healthcare professionals, and individuals in recovery as they examine how routine injuries, overprescribing, and growing opioid tolerance contributed to a public health crisis. It also highlights the unique risks facing young people, the transition from prescription opioids to heroin, and the efforts of communities, universities, and treatment providers to intervene early and support lasting recovery.
Through personal stories, expert interviews, and community perspectives, this Orlando-produced news special explores the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on individuals, families, and communities. It examines the progression from prescription opioids to heroin and fentanyl, while highlighting overdose prevention, recovery, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and the lasting effects addiction has on children and loved ones. Alongside these stories, the documentary also explores emerging treatment approaches and the ongoing efforts of healthcare professionals and advocates working to save lives.
This documentary examines the addiction and homelessness crisis in Seattle, where rising rates of substance use, visible homelessness, crime, and public disorder have fueled growing concern throughout the community. Through interviews with people living with addiction, business owners, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and local residents, it explores competing perspectives on what has driven the crisis and how it should be addressed. The film also examines treatment options, public policy, and the challenges of balancing compassion, accountability, and public safety.
This episode of VICE: High Society examines why ecstasy has become increasingly dangerous in the United Kingdom, where stronger pills, higher MDMA concentrations, and unpredictable adulterants have contributed to a rise in drug-related harm. Speaking with researchers, harm reduction advocates, and drug checking services, the documentary explores how changes in the illicit drug market have increased the risks associated with ecstasy use. It also highlights practical harm reduction strategies, including drug testing and dose awareness, that can help reduce the likelihood of overdose and other serious health consequences.
This documentary follows homeless children living on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, where poverty, neglect, and inhalant addiction have created a devastating humanitarian crisis. Relying on glue and other toxic inhalants to escape hunger and hardship, many spend their days in a drug-induced haze while struggling to survive in makeshift camps surrounded by violence, disease, and despair. Through their stories, the film reveals the human cost of addiction and the desperate circumstances that leave thousands of vulnerable children with few opportunities to escape life on the streets.
TOPICS: Homelessness, Inhalant Use Disorder, Inhalants, Poverty, Youth
This documentary examines the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where addiction, overdose, and limited treatment resources have placed enormous strain on a small community. Through the experiences of a dedicated harm reduction worker, people living with opioid use disorder, and a family desperately trying to save their son, it explores the realities of addiction while highlighting the importance of compassion, harm reduction, and community support in the face of an ongoing public health crisis.
TOPICS: Canada, Fentanyl, Harm Reduction, Opioid Crisis, Opioid Use Disorder, Opioids, Overdose, Personal Stories, Poverty, Stigma, Youth
Inside one of Kabul's largest drug rehabilitation centres, A Second Shot offers a stark look at addiction in Afghanistan through the experiences of residents, families, volunteers, and staff. The documentary follows those living inside the centre as they endure severe withdrawal, homelessness, poverty, family breakdown, and limited access to medication and basic care. Set against Afghanistan's strained healthcare system and declining international aid, it explores the human consequences of addiction and the challenges of providing treatment with few resources.
