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In its first public safety alert in six years, the Drug Enforcement Administration is warning about a dramatic increase in fake prescription drugs being sold on the black market containing a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. The DEA said the counterfeit pills — made to look like real opioid medications such as oxycodone, Percocet or Adderall — are sold on the street by dealers or online, including through social media platforms. (Mann and Neuman, 9/27)

The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public warning Monday that a growing number of fake pills bought online are laced with potentially lethal amounts of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and blamed social media sites for not doing more to protect their users. “We decided to do this because the amounts are staggering,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in an interview with The Washington Post. “We are in the midst, in my view, of an overdose crisis, and the counterfeit pills are driving so much of it.” (Barrett and Dwoskin, 9/27)

The eggs sat on the counter and the potatoes waited in the pan for a late-night brunch as Ashley Romero died. She took half a pill that appeared to be a prescription painkiller offered to her by her boyfriend. Romero had chronic pain her entire life from pancreatitis. When she was really hurting, she would sometimes take half a pill prescribed to her by her doctor. This pill wasn’t prescribed, though. The fentanyl in the counterfeit tablet killed her in minutes. When the paramedics arrived at her Grand Junction home, both she and her boyfriend were unresponsive in her car. They revived her boyfriend with naloxone, but Romero died in the front seat on June 11, 2018. (Schmelzer, 9/267)

Local entities have reported seeing more fentanyl in the River Valley in recent years, as well as the consequences that can result from using it. Cody Elliott, coordinator for the 12th and 21st District Drug Task Force, said his office is buying more fentanyl during its operations now than it did about a year-and-a-half ago. This includes fentanyl powder, heroin with fentanyl mixed in and pill-form fentanyl made to look like other medications. (Saccente, 9/27)

Two Southern California residents were charged in a massive drug bust that resulted in authorities seizing more than 46 pounds of an extremely lethal synthetic opioid. Andres Jesus Morales, 30, and Christine Ponce, 27, were charged with four felony counts each of possession of a controlled substance for sale, the Riverside District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday. (Mendoza, 9/26)

The actor Michael K. Williams died of an accidental overdose that included the synthetic opioids fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl, the New York City medical examiner's office said Friday. Williams, whose work on HBO's "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire" was widely praised, died Sept. 6 at age 54. He had been open about his struggles with drug use. (Romero, 9/24)

Recreational pot has become legal for more Americans, but despite that ease of access, marijuana use hasn't ignited, a study released Monday found. An article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found there was no increase in cannabis use among the general population or among previous users after their states legalized marijuana. (Pereira, 9/27)

Prosecutors in Los Angeles will move to dismiss nearly 60,000 marijuana-related convictions about five years after California voters approved recreational cannabis, the district attorney's office said Monday. Officials identified about 58,000 cases that are eligible for dismissal, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said. The cases go back three decades. Last year, Jackie Lacey, then the district attorney, dismissed 66,000 convictions related to pot. (Helsel, 9/27)