RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — An hour-long special will air on ABC 8News on Wednesday night highlighting stories surrounding the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Nexstar’s hour-long special titled Saving a Generation: The Fentanyl Crisis will air on ABC 8News from 10 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and will be hosted by Sally Hernandez of KXAN in Austin, Texas, as well as Brian Dorman of KGPE in Fresno, California.
The following five segments will be shown as part of the special, which will highlight stories surrounding the fentanyl crisis in the United States:
Segment 1:
The first segment will follow two families, one of which with a standout student-athlete who was looking forward to his 16th birthday. After having a barbeque at home, his mother dropped him off at a friend’s house where he spent the night. He took a pill not knowing it was laced with fentanyl, and it killed him.
The segment will look at the effects fentanyl has on children who are exposed to it in homes, daycares and other places the public assumes to be safe from such dangers. The segment will also include an interview with a mother who lost two sons to opioid overdoses.
Segment 2:
This segment will focus on the border impact in Nogales, Arizona, which is reportedly the newest hot spot for the influx of fentanyl. The segment will include an interview with border protection agencies about how trafficking “constantly changes to stay one step ahead of law enforcement.”
Segment 3:
The third segment will be a profile of a college basketball coach whose college-age son took a pill for a sports injury, not knowing it was laced with fentanyl, and died. The father has worked with his college athletes on how to spread the message of awareness and prevention.
The segment will also show a look inside the vault where drug seizures from multiple states are collected and tested at a DEA lab in Dallas, Texas.
Segment 4:
The fourth segment will highlight social media’s role in the sale of illegal drugs, with access to the drug market reportedly as simple as clicking through social media feeds with different drugs having their own emojis.
The segment will include an interview with a family of a college-age son who purchased drugs through an online marketplace and died in his bedroom.
Segment four will also explore the harm reduction program with the DEA, which has reportedly seen an evolution on how it helps curb the use of drugs and reduce the harm they cause.
Segment 5:
Angela Kennecke was a long-time anchor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She lost her 21-year-old daughter to opioids and has turned the agonizing grief into a cause for change. Her charity, Emily’s Hope, goes into schools and helps with the curriculum for drug awareness.
The final segment will also look at how states are changing laws.