Policing the USA
As illegal drug trade goes from the corner to the web, rising deadly threat of fake pills
Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can kill. Fake pills are created to look like the real thing, killing more Americans, including teens and young adults.
Anne Milgram
Opinion contributor
Ed and Mary Ternan lived a parent’s worst nightmare. On May 14, 2020, they lost their son Charlie Ternan, 22, after he took a deadly dose of fentanyl. Purchased online, that one pill – which Charlie thought was Percocet – is all it took to end their son's young life and permanently change theirs. The Ternans’ story is, unfortunately, all too familiar for so many.
When I was nominated by President Joe Biden in April to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, I was instantly struck by the messages I received from people who lost a loved one to an overdose. The image is haunting, and tragically common: a family member, a friend, a classmate, a co-worker, taking a pill they believed was safe.