A shocking public service announcement is warning everyone not to pick up folded money that you might find on the floor in public places such as gas stations.
The paper bills could be lethal envelopes carrying deadly fentanyl, which can kill with just one dose.
The Perry County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee recently found two instances of folded paper bills in gas stations. Inside was a white, powdery substance that tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Posting a picture online, the sheriff stated: “This is very dangerous, folks! Please share and educate your children to not pick up the money.
“I personally plan to push for legislation for a bill that would intensify the punishment, if someone is caught using money as a carrying pouch for such poison.”
They added: “It enrages me as a father and the sheriff, that people can act so carelessly and have no regard for others wellbeing, especially a child. I hope we find the ones responsible.”
Chemical ingredients shipped in from overseas to Mexico are then processed into fentanyl and smuggled in-country by drug cartels.
Marking a “new paradigm” in America’s opioid crisis, fentanyl distinguishes itself from more “traditional” street drugs—such as crack, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana—as it is capable of killing with one dose. And unlike run-of-the-mill street drugs, fentanyl often assumes the form of pills, fraudulently posing as stamped, regular-looking over-the-counter drugs.
The recent public service announcement in Tennessee demonstrates that the crisis extends beyond the border and is nationwide, while making it shockingly clear to what extent dealers are willing to go to pump these drugs into circulation.
