“Millennials and those younger rely heavily on social media. Criminal organizations recognize that trend and we’re starting to see advertisements and sales of counterfeit or substandard prescription drugs on social media.”
Alex Khu, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Global Trade Investigations Division.
And counterfeit medications can be deadly. Wall Street Journal columnist, Sumathi Reddy, tells the story of Tosh Ackerman. He was just 29-years-old when he died three years ago after taking only a piece of one Xanax given to him by an acquaintance. Turns our the drug he thought would help him sleep better was counterfeit–laced with a deadly dose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
His mother, Carrie Luther, has now made it her mission to speak out about counterfeit drugs:
“You don’t have to be an addict to die from counterfeit medications. It’s just rampant now and it’s all about greed. There’s no way to tell if what you’re getting is the real thing unless you get it from your local brick and mortar store.”
Wall Street Journal, 10/8/18
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