MEXICO CITY – The U.S. State Division has issued a journey warning about harmful counterfeit drugs being offered at pharmacies in Mexico that always include fentanyl.

The journey alert posted Friday says People ought to “train warning when buying medicine in Mexico.”

Small pharmacies in vacationer areas and border areas generally promote drugs marketed as OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax and others with no prescription.

The State Division warned that such drugs are sometimes counterfeit and “might include lethal doses of fentanyl.”

“Counterfeit drugs are readily marketed on social media and could be bought at small, non-chain pharmacies in Mexico alongside the border and in vacationer areas,” it mentioned.

A research led by researchers on the College of California, Los Angeles discovered that 68% of the 40 Mexican pharmacies visited in 4 northern Mexico cities offered Oxycodone, Xanax or Adderall, and that 27% of these pharmacies have been promoting pretend drugs.

UCLA mentioned the research, revealed in January, discovered that “brick and mortar pharmacies in Northern Mexican vacationer cities are promoting counterfeit drugs containing fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. These drugs are offered primarily to US vacationers, and are sometimes handed off as managed substances reminiscent of Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall.”

“These counterfeit drugs signify a critical overdose danger to patrons who assume they’re getting a recognized amount of a weaker drug,” mentioned Chelsea Shover, assistant professor-in-residence of drugs on the David Geffen Faculty of Medication at UCLA.

Anecdotal proof recommend that the issue exists in seaside resorts like Playa del Carmen and Tulum, not simply in border cities.

The State Division didn’t reply to a request for touch upon whether or not any People had overdosed or died because of the Mexico drug gross sales.

A State Division spokesperson wrote in response to the request that “The U.S. Division of State has no greater precedence than the security and safety of U.S. residents abroad. We take significantly our dedication to offer U.S. residents with clear, well timed, and dependable details about each nation on the planet to allow them to make knowledgeable journey selections.”

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