April 25, 2025

Injecting Hope: Tackling Drug Overdose With Harm Reduction

Injecting Hope offers an unflinching, ground-level examination of the drug overdose crisis in North America and explores the potential role of harm reduction initiatives, such as safe injection sites, in addressing the epidemic. ABC7 News reporter Tara Campbell takes viewers to the streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for an intimate look at the effects of North America’s first sanctioned safe consumption site, established more than two decades ago, on both individuals struggling with addiction and the broader community.
April 25, 2025

Killer High: The Silent Crisis (Fentanyl)

This powerful documentary explores the impact that fentanyl is having on the United States, particularly on youth living in Fresno, California. You’ll learn about the opioid crisis through the eyes of the families impacted by it, the law enforcement officers who are desperately trying to get it off the streets, and the medical professionals who witness countless opioid-related overdoses and deaths. You’ll also hear from two mothers who want to pass a very powerful message along to other parents, and you’ll see the video footage of the moment they found their children unresponsive, overdosing in their rooms. This documentary serves as an eye opener to parents with the overall message that this is not “some other family’s problem” – it is impacting many of our children and it’s extremely important for parents to learn about addiction.
April 25, 2025

One Pill: Fighting Fentanyl Investigation

The fentanyl crisis is killing more Texans than ever before. Victims are getting younger and most people don’t even know they’re taking it. It’s extremely easy to overdose on fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, and people are losing their loved ones. They want you to hear their stories so that they can hopefully help save a life and prevent others from going through what they went through. Some of them have formed non-profit organizations to spread the message. You’ll also learn more about drug trafficking and how law enforcement is attempting to combat the overdose crisis.
April 24, 2025

The Fentanyl Crisis: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope

Fentanyl remains a leading cause of overdose deaths in Virginia. According to the Virginia Department of Health, the synthetic opioid was responsible for 76.5% of the 2,656 overdose fatalities in 2021. The community of those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl continues to expand, with many grieving families seeking to raise awareness about a crisis they feel is not receiving the attention it urgently deserves.
April 24, 2025

Inside Canada’s Fentanyl Overdose Epidemic

SBS Dateline (Australia) wants to know what they can learn from the Canadian opioid crisis and the fatality of fentanyl, and use it as a warning for Australians. This news investigation discusses (1) why fentanyl kills so many young Canadians, (2) how it first came to Canada, (3) the importance of harm reduction services like supervised consumption sites, and (4) programs and support services in place to help people in several different ways.
April 24, 2025

Painkiller: Inside the Opioid Crisis in Canada

Nominated for Canadian Screen Award, this documentary covers the opioid crisis in Canada. “It features interviews with families who have lost loved ones, as well as healthcare workers and policy experts who question a health system that favors corporate profits over patients.” For example, they talk about the overprescribing of prescription medications, and how little to no punishments have been handed out. This documentary also advocates for harm reduction as a crucial way to combat this crisis.
April 24, 2025

Bryan’s HOPE: The Heroin Epidemic – Prevention & Education

Bryan’s HOPE was founded by Jeannie Richards after she lost her son, Bryan, to a heroin overdose. Richards was hopeful that she could raise enough awareness and money to begin purchasing naloxone kits to hand out to local addicts and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. “Bryan, I’d like to think, was just like any other boy growing up, active, happy, healthy,” she says. “It wasn’t until he starting taking prescription Vicodin that he morphed into somebody that I didn’t know” (source). Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and passed away a year later in 2019. As a result, it appears that Bryan’s Hope is no longer active. However, the messages in this documentary still stand. You’ll hear from Richards herself as well as other parents and family members who have lost loved ones to heroin and other opioids. You’ll also listen to the stories of recovering addicts who have made it out of addiction, and professionals who work in this field. It’s an hour of simply listening – there’s nothing flashy about this documentary, it’s a straight shooter, so to speak. Everyone has something unique to offer, their own personal insight into the opioid crisis, the addictive strength of prescription medications, and the easy move from pills to heroin.
April 24, 2025

Hope After Heroin: The Epidemic in Our Backyard

This WQED documentary explores the opioid crisis & heroin use in Western Pennsylvania. People who have experienced addiction, either themselves or through a loved one, share their stories of struggle, stigma and loss. But they also show how they’ve managed to use their pain as a catalyst for change, providing hope for others. Heroin has a hold on this country, and Western Pennsylvania hasn’t escaped its grip. There isn’t a community, a town, a county in our region that doesn’t have a major heroin problem today. It’s cross-generational, it crosses ethnic lines. The problem is so pervasive that people are literally overdosing on the street. Stigma keeps people from talking about it. But now, people are stepping out of the shadows. Sharing their stories, inspiring others. Recovery is something that anyone can do at any point.
April 24, 2025

Kids Are Dying: Addiction in Youth

This documentary is a must-see for anyone wanting to learn more about addiction and youth drug use and how the overdose epidemic / opioid crisis is affecting children and young adults.  You can also watch Michael’s second documentary – An American Epidemic – where he details how this problem is not only happening locally in Camden, but also nationally.