Local community agencies are echoing the urgent alarm from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency regarding the counterfeit pills that are flooding the nation. Fake pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine are being pushed by criminal enterprises nationwide.
The DEA says, “The only safe medications are ones prescribed by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.”
The fake laced pills look like the real pills and people are definitely falling for the scam. The opioid dependence crisis is fueling the scam, giving the criminal enterprises a market for counterfeit opioids like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax, and others; and stimulants like Adderall. Parents need to warn kids and teens to never take an unprescribed pill. Fentanyl can kill with one pill.
The warning does not apply to legitimately prescribed medications from licensed pharmacies. The deadly fake pills are often marketed on social media and e-commerce platforms.
The DEA blames fentanyl for the unprecedented 93,000 overdose deaths reported last year.
A link to more information: www.DEA.gov/onepill
Reporting for WGRT -Jennie McClelland
