SAN DIEGO — Fentanyl-laced marijuana is becoming a new trend across the country, and many government agencies are on high alert.
To the best of our knowledge, no fentanyl-laced marijuana has been found here in San Diego County. While this may be heartening news, the drug’s discovery, like Yuma’s, has prompted law enforcement to issue a warning to anyone using the drug for recreational purposes.
Fentanyl is known to law enforcement to be found in almost every drug.
“We’ve seen large amounts of fentanyl, which has increased significantly since 2017,” said Randy Grossman, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California.
Potent synthetic opioids are also laced with marijuana, causing concern for city officials across the country, including in Arizona. In Arizona, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office issued a public notice following at least one cannabis contamination incident. along with fentanyl.
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office says more street drugs are laced with fentanyl because fentanyl is low cost and so potent.
A spokeswoman for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: “We encountered incidents here because there have been incidents elsewhere in the country and other agencies have issued alerts in response to their findings.” Stated.
Chad Plantz, special agent for the San Diego Homeland Security Investigation, said that while there are no local reports of laced marijuana, federal, state, and local agencies are closely monitoring how and what marijuana is sold. said that
“We’ve never witnessed or seen anything like that here in San Diego, but again, it’s something we’re always on the lookout for,” Plantz said.
Fentanyl is mixed with edibles such as marijuana flowers and gummies.
“We know it exists. The risk of drug contamination is always present and always something to be aware of,” Plantz continued.
Law enforcement agencies across the country are urging citizens to stay safe and take precautions.
Related video: Operation Blue Lotus results in increased fentanyl seizures and arrests (May 2023).
