According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing tremendous amounts of fake pills that are made to look like prescription painkillers. The DEA has conducted seizures between January and March of 2019 where 30 percent of the pills had deadly levels of fentanyl. Uttam Dhillon is the acting Administrator of the DEA and he explains that these cartels are taking advantage of the opioid epidemic sweeping the nation. These cartels are sending fake pills in mass to the United States to be dispersed throughout the country.

Illegally produced fentanyl is being seen more and more on the streets. In recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in combination with the DEA’s 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment have shown that this illegally made substance is a reoccurring factor seen in drug overdoses.

The Opioid Conundrum

The opioid crisis is a difficult challenge to overcome for the United States. Overprescribing prescription pills has lead many individuals who were not intending to abusing these medications to become addicted. There has been a massive push for medical providers to reduce the amount of these prescriptions that they provide to their patients. As a result, the availability of medical-grade opioids has been limited. Individuals who want these medications then seek to find them on the black market. What they get in return, they can never be sure of, and these street pills have taken center stage in fatal overdoses.

Eventually, those who went to the streets to find these medications also ran into heroin. Heroin is significantly cheaper, around 10 times less expensive. Many of these individuals began taking heroin because of the cost. Additionally, fentanyl on the street is often mixed with heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine for a deadly cocktail.

Overdose Deaths

A study done by the Boston Medical Center found that a little over 1 percent of those overdose deaths had an active prescription for opioids. An astounding 61.4 percent of the deceased died because of heroin, 45.3 percent perished due to fentanyl. For 20 percent of these fatalities, both heroin and fentanyl were mixed and found in the deceased systems.

There were over 47,000 Americans that lost their lives in 2017 because of opioid overdoses, heroin, and illegally made fentanyl as reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Approximately 6 percent of those individuals that abuse prescription pills will eventually begin using heroin.

Do You Need Help Overcoming A Prescription Pill Or Heroin Abuse Problem?

Fake Pills In The Street On The RiseThere is hope, and you don’t have to become one of the sad statistics of overdose deaths simply because you cannot overcome your addiction. The medical detox and addiction alternative treatment center at Discovery Place has the tools to help you safely detox and work through your addiction physically and emotionally. Your life is important and you deserve to see a successful recovery so that you can save it before it is too late. Discovery Place’s Tennessee addiction alternative treatment center’s programs are designed to help you be successful. You can call our Tennessee detox alternative treatment center any time to talk with one of our caring staff members at 1-800-725-0922.

 

Testimonials

  • Discovery Place was the answer for my son. He did the 90 day and then the step down program and sober living. We give this organization 10 stars. They met my son where he was …emotionally, mentally, physically. They helped him put his life back on track. Discovery Place employees care about their guests. If your son, brother, nephew, grandson or husband needs excellent supportive care THIS is indeed the facility.

    Kim Morton
    Alumni Parent
  • I have remained sober and it is because of DP. DP is the best place there is, hands down. I keep everyone there in my prayers, and I encourage everyone there to take what they are practicing and do it in their lives, after.

    Roy Mantelli
    Alumni
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    Matt Kassay
    Alumni
  • Discovery Place means the world to me. They showed me the tools that I’ve tried to use everyday in my life to think less often of myself, and more frequently of others. I am learning to lend a hand when I am able and to have a honest and humble relationship with God and the people around me. Not only am I clean and sober, but also I am happy and fulfilled.

    Tommy Parker
    Alumni
  • Discovery Place and the men who work there made recovery attractive, and more importantly, fun. There is strength in the struggle. I am forever grateful for my time at Discovery Place.

    Creed McClellan
    Alumni
  • When I got to Discovery Place my whole life was in shambles, but I didn’t know it. I spent 6 months in their programs, participating in all three phases, and was met with kindness and love all along the way. It is unbelievable to me, where I am now relative to where I was when I arrived at DP.

    Lance Duke
    Alumni
  • I can never say enough good things about Discovery Place and the people who work there. Before checking in to DP, I was out of options and out of answers. Fortunately, Discovery Place has a solution. Taking suggestions from the staff at DP saved my life, and as a result, I’m now more content and hopeful about life. I’m grateful for Discovery Place showing me how to live a healthy life so that I can become a better man and help the next guy.”

    Tyler Buckingham
    Alumni

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