DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are warning Michigan and Ohio college campuses about the dangers of counterfeit pills during the upcoming school year.
“We are reaching out to the universities in Michigan and Ohio to let them know that the DEA has a variety of resources to assist in preventing drug abuse and misuse on college campuses,” said Brian McNeal, public information officer for the Detroit division of the DEA.
Warnings for college students.
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McNeal said college students sometimes attempt to illegally obtain a drug through the internet to boost performance on homework or exams, such as Xanax or Ritalin. Unfortunately, these drugs may be fake and contain doses of methamphetamine or fentanyl.
“The most disturbing trend that we’re seeing are counterfeit pills and their proliferation online and their availability on social media,” McNeal said. “The days of having to go into a seedy part of town to meet a drug dealer are over. You can order these counterfeit prescription pills and have them delivered to your home or your dorm room.”
According to McNeal, this happened three years on Ohio State University’s campus, despite the campus warning students about counterfeit pills.
“There were a couple of overdoses from students who had stumbled across a substance – I believe it was fentanyl — on campus and they went home and they used it,” McNeal said. “What was weird about that case is that just days prior to those overdose deaths, the university had sent out an alert to students about fake counterfeit pills. And then just a couple days later, you had these overdoses on campus.”
Reach out for resources.
The DEA has many resources to help colleges prevent drug overdose on their campuses. One of these resources, McNeal said, is “Prevention with Purpose,” a strategic planning guide for college administrators to inform all members of their institution.
“What’s really good about it is you have different modules for different audiences, whether it’s a module for mental health professionals on campus, or for residence halls, or for athletics, or for faculty,” McNeal said. “It’s targeted for a wide variety of audiences, and that’s just one of many resources we have.”
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McNeal also said the DEA is meeting with campuses with administrators or organizations throughout the year.
“We’re also available throughout the year to visit campuses, whether it’s a student organization, resident hall meeting, or visiting with athletic departments, to let them know about some of the drug trends that we’re seeing,” McNeal said. “And during this two week period we’re really intensifying those efforts and letting those schools know that we are available.”