By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The DEA is bracing for overdoses after warning that hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills are laced with a potentially deadly synthetic opioid.
The DEA said the drugs, which look like legitimate painkillers, have infiltrated the U.S. drug market, the Guardian reports.
The pills contain fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.
The DEA warned that only a small amount can kill.
“It’s a huge concern. People don’t know what they are getting,” said the DEA spokesman Melvin Patterson, citing an uptick in accidental overdoses by unwitting users.
Other Stories of Interest
- Fingerprint Checks May Be Flawed by Bad FBI Records
- Border Patrol Details Canadian Teens Who Crossed Border Playing ‘Pokemon’
- For Secret Service Chief, Protecting DNC Means Coming Home
- Motion to Dismiss Case Against Homeland Security After Car Damaged During Inspection
- Maritime Homeland Security Drill Kicks Off in Lake Champlain
