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An investigation found that pharmacies in Tijuana and several other Mexican cities are selling counterfeit prescription pills laced with deadlier drugs like fentanyl and methanphetamine and most of the counterfeit pills look exactly like thier legitimate counterparts.
Recently, investigators from the Los Angeles Times tested pills that were purchased at a Tijuana pharmacy, including oxycodone pills that tested positive for fentanyl and Adderall that tested positive for meth. They found that 71% of the 17 different types of pills purchased contained more powerful drugs. A study done by UCLA researchers found similar results.
Mexican drugstores have been a popular alternative for Americans who are able to purchase medications at a cheaper price and who want access pharmecutecals that they can't get presribed by their doctors. Most people assume that they are getting legitimate medications because of how they're packaged or because the store sold them that way. In light of these studies, that is becoming a risk no one should take. “Whenever you have counterfeit products that contain fentanyl, you are going to have people use them and die,” said Chelsea Shover, a UCLA researcher and the study’s senior author.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin. A dose of just 2 milligrams can kill you.
State Senator John Laird described the findings of these studies as “really shocking,” adding “These places are close at hand, and Americans travel to these locations, and they are at risk in a way that wasn’t apparent before, and I think that as this story comes out and we learn further details we’re going to have to look to see if there’s any state legislation that needs to be looked at to follow up.”
Los Angeles Times investigators found that most of the counterfeit pills were sold at pharmacies frequented by tourists and that drugs like oxycodone were kept hidden so that you had to ask for them specifically. Prices range from $15 - $35 per tablet - high enough to be out of range for most drug users but cheap enough for tourists.