(NewsNation) — The vast majority of drugs sold in Mexican pharmacies are laced with illegal drugs such as fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. University of California study found.
Pharmacies in Mexican border towns are starting to fill up with American customers seeking discounted medicines. report foundSome people are looking for prescription-free pharmacies.
but, UCLA-led research A study of 40 pharmacies in four Mexican cities found that “two out of three had at least one controlled substance sold without a prescription, either in bottles or in individual tablets.” rice field.
Researchers bought oxycodone, Xanax and Adderall and found that most of the pills tested positive for fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, suggesting they likely originated from Mexican cartels. I’m here.
a According to the Los Angeles Times I had a similar finding. Reporters found that pills marketed as oxycodone were in fact fentanyl and pills marketed as Adderall tested positive for stimulants in Tijuana. Even the drug was fentanyl positive.
UCLA states that “counterfeit drugs cannot be distinguished based on their appearance, as authentic and counterfeit versions that look the same are often sold in close geographical proximity.” the researcher wrote“Nevertheless, U.S. tourist drug consumers may be more trusting of controlled substances purchased directly from pharmacies.”
LA Times survey found Of the 17 tablets tested, 71% were found to be positive for the stronger drug.
These Mexican pharmacies also sell to locals, but the majority of their customers are Americans who travel in search of more affordable drugs, UCLA researchers report. U.S. President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday to tackle the problem of high medical costs and bring down drug prices in the country.
A UCLA study shows that contaminated drugs found in Mexican pharmacies increase overdose deaths in the United States, but reports of these deaths differ in Mexico, suggesting that overdose deaths It is difficult to determine the exact number of deaths.
Many Mexican toxicology tests do not test for fentanyl, so the cause of death is often classified as a separate medical problem.
“While more than 91,000 people died from overdoses in the United States in 2020, Mexico reported 1,700 deaths from all drugs, including alcohol, that year,” wrote the Los Angeles Times. , there were more than 68,000 deaths from opioid overdoses in the United States that year, compared to fewer than 20 from opioids.”
Dr. Raul Placios, a drug counselor on the Mexican side of the border, believes that some drugs may have tested positive for stimulants because they contain the same active ingredient.
another LA Times research The State Department has been aware of the problem of counterfeit medicines since 2019, but has been unable to issue warnings.
As cartel violence raises warnings against traveling to Mexico, two US Democratic lawmakers asked the State Department Issue better travel warnings, including warnings about counterfeit medicines.
