Young Thug, who for some time now has been one of the most influential in the hip-hop world, recently hit the news over an Instagram post calling out the recent increased number of counterfeit pills and accidental overdoses. The rapper took advantage of that to give advice on how to spot fake pills in a public service announcement. He explained that though he encourages people not to take drugs, he knows some do. His post was at least inflammatory, and implied a method through which users could tell real pills from counterfeits.
Young Thug once ordered a public service announcement saying that using an iPhone flashlight could help somebody know if a pill is real or not-as if the branding or logo glows with its light. But drug safety professionals have called the method unreliable and told people not to use it.
Experts said counterfeit pills can look just like real pills under a flashlight, and such untried methods can end up giving users false reassurance, which might lead to an accidental overdose. They said no visual test or sight examination can validate the safety or legitimacy of a pill, certainly not when a deadly substance is involved like fentanyl.
Instead, experts highly recommend scientifically proven alternatives, with examples including fentanyl test strips or mass spectrometry machines. Fentanyl test strips are lightweight and affordable mechanisms for detecting the presence of fentanyl in pills, powders, or injectable drugs. Mass spectrometry machines, on their part, are less accessible for ordinary people but can give precision of a lab level in identifying the chemical makeup of substances.
Overdose deaths are increasing due to the rise in pills laced with lethal doses of fentanyl. In recent years, over 70% of reported overdose deaths, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were linked to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. While Young Thug’s advice might have had a good intention for his followers, words can’t express how unverified means of testing fake pills pose risks. Experts recommend that if one is suspicious about their medication, they employ verified ways of testing and seek guidance from health experts.
[…] Young Thug Reveals Secrets to Identifying Fake Pills […]