America is grappling with one of the largest social challenges in its recent history: how to stop people dying from fentanyl overdoses.
The cheaply manufactured synthetic opioid is highly addictive and, if taken in the wrong amount, deadly. Most disturbingly, it is finding its way into other substances and people often have no idea they are taking it.
Last year, more than 109,000 people in the US died due to drug overdoses, a national record. Three quarters of these deaths were linked to fentanyl, with many of the victims unaware they were ingesting the potent drug.
This national crisis has started to seep overseas, with authorities in other countries seeing fentanyl use and overdoses rise. The issue has become a major political talking point in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections, with politicians blaming China and Mexican cartels for a surge in the drug's distribution.
Nowhere is the drug's impact more visible than in Philadelphia, the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania.
In the city's rundown Kensington area, it is common to see fentanyl users on the streets, completely unaware of their surroundings, often with infected injection wounds on their arms and legs.
“Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than other recreational drugs. It's no game,” said Jeremy Montgomery, President and CEO of Philly House, which has for 144 years been helping people struggling with addiction, by offering food, housing and recovery programmes.
Mr Montgomery predicts that fentanyl use will continue to spread.
“It will hit every little and big city which allows and condones open and public drug consumption with no preventive efforts,” he told The National.
Mr Montgomery and his wife Erin save lives daily thanks to Naloxone, a medicine that quickly reverses an opioid overdose. They keep the medication with them at all times.
“We have to use it every single day” said Ms Montgomery.
Lethal dose
Produced chemically and often manufactured illegally, just 2mg of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved fentanyl as a pain reliever, but drug traffickers often lace other narcotics with it. Sometimes, unscrupulous drug makers put fentanyl in products that are then marketed as harmless medicines for colds and minor ailments, such as Fenex, a cough suppressant.
Dr Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told The National that Fenex buyers, especially when purchasing online, often end up with fentanyl-laced fake pills.
He said the chances of getting those rogue pills when ordering online was “in six out of 10 they might be deadly doses of fentanyl”.
“That number is worse than playing Russian roulette with your life,” he said.
Dr Gupta described fentanyl as “a public health crisis, and also a national security crisis” that prompted the White House to recently announce a global coalition against synthetic drugs.
More than 120 countries have signed on, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and India.
“Today, no country is immune to the threat of synthetic drugs. We see this is a clear threat, not only to the United States but to all countries across the world, and that is why we can work together to address it,” Mr Gupta said.
The White House has pushed for greater access to Naloxone, and the medicine is now widely carried across the US by first responders.
Slowing the fentanyl crisis is akin to turning a container ship around, Dr Gupta said.
“If you want to turn it around, you have to slow it down, stop it and then turn it around. This is exactly what we want to do,” he said, pointing to the ability to reverse overdoses as a good sign.
Frederick County, in the state of Maryland, is one of the East Coast's most affected areas. Its location positions it as a hub for drug traffickers bringing fentanyl up from the southern border and shipping it further north or to the west.
“We respond everyday to overdoses. In the past decade, we have had 237 lives that we have saved by administering Narcan,” Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told The National, using Naloxone's brand name.
“We as a country failed to see the problem coming 10 years ago, and we are now trying to catch up.”
Crime connection
Law enforcement officials like Sheriff Jenkins see a direct link from fentanyl to street crime.
“Probably 70 per cent of the property crimes are directly related to the drug market, and fentanyl has become a huge part of that, especially in the last two or three years,” he said.
The sheriff converted part of the local work-release centre into Frederick County's first detox centre. It opened in May as a drug rehabilitation centre for 128 people.
A huge sign outside counts local overdoses to raise awareness. On a recent September day, the tally was 115 overdoses, 20 of them fatal.
Jessica, who lives nearby, has been clean for nine years. She works at the Phoenix Recovery Academy to help teenagers and their families struggling with addiction.
She started using drugs at the age of 14 when experimenting with other substances such as alcohol and marijuana.
At 19, she started using opioids including OxyContin and fentanyl patches, under medical prescription. She abused the prescribed medication and eventually turned to heroin use.
“I did it to feel numb,” Jessica said. “Your whole body starts to feel warm, sleepy, and you feel nothing. You really just don’t care about anything. It is a very isolated feeling as well.”
She eventually “needed more of a high to feel the effect” and started using fentanyl from the Baltimore area.
Her family was “extremely supportive” when she quit drugs, but it took her several attempts.
“It just got me to a place where I felt so tired of doing the same thing over and over again, and hurting my loved ones, especially my daughter,” she said.
“I just surrendered myself with other people in recovery. Being in a community has helped me extremely.”
The crisis is already inside schools and “has only gotten worse”, Jessica told The National shortly after receiving a call from a mother worried about her 16-year-old daughter who is abusing fentanyl.
“I can’t tell you the number of calls I receive about kids overdosing in schools, two of them from the same school in a matter of three weeks, one fatal. She was only 15 years old.”
Nearby, Edward and Karen Schildt endured the same situation in 2016 when their son Chris died of an overdose, aged 25.
“We never thought our son would be addicted,” Mr Schildt said.
Chris started taking painkillers after breaking his arm playing baseball, but within weeks was using heroin and fentanyl.
“It is definitely getting to the younger crowd now and we are finding that fentanyl is laced and put in all sorts of substances,” Jessica said.
In a bid to quell the crisis, the White House is trying to find policies to save more lives and is talking to families across the country.
“From Connecticut to California, from Texas to Wisconsin. Not only to have conversations with them, because we believe it is important to share their suffering, but also to learn from them,” Dr Gupta said.
“This particular epidemic does not care for who you are. It cuts across all communities, no matter if you are black or white, rich or poor, urban or rural.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
More coverage from the Future Forum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
