WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Advocates say it’s like playing a game of Russian roulette. More and more fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are being sold on the dark web.
They’re typically geared toward teenagers and college-aged students.
“Oftentimes it seems when these pills are pressed, the fentanyl may be particularly concentrated in one pill, and not in the other,” said
Anita Seefried-Brown, Alliance for Better Communities.
Pills like Adderall, Xanax, and oxycodone are popular. In 2022, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 50 million laced pills.
These pills are typically used by students to either stay up all night to cram for a test or get some sleep before a test.
Photos from the DEA show it’s hard to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake.
“It is very, very difficult,” said Seefried-Brown.
The north country is not immune. Seefried-Brown says there are a couple of unconfirmed deaths which may be from the pills in Jefferson County.
“It stands to reason that it is here,” she said.
Seefried Brown’s advice to parents is to keep an open line of communication with their kids or download social media monitoring apps.
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