DEA Launches 'One Pill Can Kill' Campaign
The DEA has issued a public safety alert to warn Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Criminal drug networks are mass-producing counterfeit pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescriptions, in an effort to deceive the American public.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 93,000 people died from a drug overdose in the United States in 2020. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the primary driver of this record increase, is frequently found in counterfeit pills.
Some of the most common counterfeit pills are made to look like prescription opioids such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®). Drug traffickers are using fake pills to exploit the opioid crisis and prescription drug misuse in the United States. Fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms - making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.
Counterfeit pills have been identified in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. DEA laboratory testing reveals that 2 out of every 5 pills with fentanyl contain at least 2 milligrams, which is considered a potentially lethal dose.
Only take medications prescribed to you by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. Any pills not meeting this standard should be considered unsafe and potentially deadly.
SAMHSA Substance Abuse Treatment Locator:
Do you know someone who's struggling with substance misuse? Help them find treatment by sharing the SAMSHA Treatment Locator: findtreatment.gov/?utm_campaign=dea_20210929_opck&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
Photos of authentic versus counterfeit pills:
See photos of authentic pills versus counterfeit pills here: www.dea.gov/onepill?utm_campaign=dea_20210929_opck&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
Counterfeit Pills Fact Sheet:
See counterfeit pills fact sheet here: www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/DEA_Fact_Sheet-Counterfeit_Pills.pdf.
Counterfeit Drugs Street Names:
Oxycodone
30s; 40s; 512s; Beans; Blues; Buttons; Cotton; Greens; Hillbilly Heroin; Kickers; Killers; Muchachas; Mujeres; OC; Oxy; Oxy 80s; Roxy; Roxy Shorts; Whites
Xanax
Bars; Benzos; Bicycle Handle Bars; Bicycle Parts; Bricks; Footballs; Handlebars; Hulk; Ladders; Planks; School Bus; Sticks; Xanies; Yellow Boys; Zanbars; Zannies; Z-Bars
Amphetamine
A-Train; Abby; Addy; Amps; Christmas Trees; Co-Pilots; Lid Poppers; Smart Pills; Smarties; Study Buddies; Study Skittles; Truck Drivers; Zing