The Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, issued a public warning that a growing number of fake pills bought online are laced with potentially lethal amounts of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and blamed social media sites for not doing more to protect their users.

The U.S. saw a record number of drug overdose deaths last year — more than 93,000, an increase of almost 30 percent from 2019. The DEA says this is largely due to inadvertent drug overdoses due to counterfeit pills — especially those contaminated with fentanyl. Even in small amounts, fentanyl can be deadlier than street heroin.

The DEA warns that these counterfeit pills are often sold on social media or e-commerce websites. Many of the counterfeit pills that alarm the DEA are being sold on sites such as Snapchat and TikTok. Illegal drug dealers have become more creative in finding workarounds to tech companies’ policing efforts.

It turns out that the modern drug dealers are not standing on a street corner or in the back alley anymore. They’re sitting in your or your child’s pocket and waiting on your phone.

The two bottom lines to this story are:

• If you’re an adult seeking to purchase legitimate medications online, be sure the website of the digital pharmacy is certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy VIPPS program. VIPPS stands for the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites. Secondly, if your child is going to have a cell phone, be sure to set up protections and guidelines. 

• Secondly, if your child is going to have a cell phone, be sure to set up protections and guidelines. 

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© Copyright WLL, INC. 2021. This blog provides a wide variety of general health information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from your regular physician. If you are concerned about your health, take what you learn from this blog and meet with your personal doctor to discuss your concerns.