Born in jail to a mum with a heroin addiction - how US teenager Abby has been affected by drugs
A teenager named Abby, born to a heroin-addicted mother in jail, highlights the ongoing impact of the US opioid crisis. Despite a recent decline in overdose deaths, experts warn that synthetic opioids continue to pose a severe threat to families.
Why it matters
It underscores the generational trauma and persistent public health challenges caused by the opioid epidemic in the United States.
Born in jail to a mum with a heroin addiction - how US teenager Abby has been affected by drugs Close Generations of Americans have endured the drugs crisis.
In 2022, 110,000 people in the United States were dying from overdoses, mostly from opioids. The number has been dropping since, down to around 70,000 last year. But that doesn't mean the opioid crisis is over.
Former heroin user Karen knows how difficult it is to quit. She was still using heroin when she got pregnant with her daughter, Abby. She is now 17 years free from hard drugs.
Karen, now a recovery worker, says the drugs being used now are more dangerous.
Synthetic opioids are more powerful and in plentiful supply - and they have transformed the drugs landscape.
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