Inside Belfast's Deadly Benzos Boom | The War on Drugs

This is how decades of conflict have shaped Northern Ireland’s prescription drug scene and why it is leading to alarming drug deaths among young people.

Benzodiazepines—a class of sedative drugs, known by name brands like Xanax and Valium, that are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and depression—are a major part of Northern Ireland’s drug culture, with recreational users often necking down benzos alongside party drugs like cocaine or MDMA in a way that’s uncommon in the rest of the UK.

For the latest episode of VICE’s War on Drugs series, we explore Northern Ireland’s appetite for benzos, known colloquially as blues or yellows, and how it has its roots in the decades of sectarian conflict known as The Troubles.

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