PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Placer County's District Attorney is warning residents of a new U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration study showing 6 out of 10 pills sold on the street are laced with fentanyl.
The study says there was a 50% increase in fentanyl-laced pills since 2021.
More than 20.4 million fake prescription pills were also seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2021.
“We must operate under the assumption that any pills not obtained from your pharmacy and doctor should be considered lethal,” Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said Wednesday. “This new report truly underscores the deadliness of counterfeit pills, and the need to continue the important conversations around the fentanyl crisis.”
The Placer County District Attorney’s Office tackles the fentanyl crisis in part through participation in the “1 Pill can Kill Placer” campaign. This includes publishing public service announcements, aggressive enforcement and prosecution and working on statewide legislation.
Placer County saw a 450% increase in fentanyl deaths from 2019-2021.
