Four of Iowa’s health and crime-fighting agencies are issuing public warnings about fake but very dangerous pain killers that have popped up in Iowa. Dr. Edward Bottei (boh-TAY) of the Poison Control Center in Sioux City says they’re made to look like legitimate pills.
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People who get these counterfeit pills may believe they’re buying oxycodone (ox-ee-KOH-dohn) rather than fentanyl (FEHN-tuh-nill), a more powerful opioid that’s 40 to 50 times stronger than heroin.
Bottei says just touching the pills or inhaling as a bag or bottle of the pills is opened can be serious.
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Officials in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation say cases involving the use and sale of these sometimes-deadly pills IN IOWA have been confirmed through lab tests, but they aren’t saying how MANY cases are under investigation. Lab tests have confirmed the illegal drug “pink” has been sold and used in Iowa as well. Pink is at least seven times more powerful than morphine.
