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Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from drug overdose since the opioid crisis began in the US more than two decades ago. It’s fentanyl, a potent, synthetic opioid, mass produced in Mexico, that drove the increasing number of deaths. Now narcotics-related fatalities have fallen overall in the US. But that doesn’t mean fewer people are dying everywhere. In Nevada, those mortality statistics have continued to increase. For Assignment, Linda Pressly visits Las Vegas and Reno to find out why this desert state is bucking the trend.

Producers: Linda Pressly and Tim Mansel

(Image: Debris at the mouth of a storm drain that runs under the city of Las Vegas. Thousands of people live in the drains, many of them people with substance abuse issues. Credit: Tim Mansel/ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½)