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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Politics
Olivia Empson

‘Tranq tourism’: alarm in Philadelphia as TikTokers travel to film drug users

A man pulling a shopping cart on a dark street in a city
A man pulling a shopping cart walks along Kensington Ave in Philadelphia, 2017. ‘There are over 150 channels dedicated to Kensington and all the things that take place here,’ a harm reduction professional says. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Sarah Laurel, a harm-reduction professional, sat behind her desk and asked the man who walked into her store how much he’d been paid to be in a viral video she’d recently watched.

The man was an active substance user, struggling with addiction, who had probably taken drugs on the streets of Kensington, Philadelphia, earlier that morning. His answer was $50.

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