The myth of fentanyl-laced weed is being spun by police and media outlets, both of which profit from the fear-mongering. (AdobeStock)
Police and media keep spreading scary stories about ‘fentanyl-laced marijuana.’ But lab tests never back them up. Here’s what’s driving the disinformation—and how to stop it.
The past two years have seen an eruption of alarming headlines about “fentanyl-laced marijuana” causing overdoses and hospitalizations.
These claims now pop up about once a month. The alarm gets rung by police, then amplified by local and national media.
Here’s the truth: America does not have a fentanyl-laced weed problem.
When the message gets repeated, people start to believe that fentanyl-laced weed is a real threat to cannabis users.
But in reality: America does not have a fentanyl-laced weed problem.
Over the past six months, Leafly has investigated and analyzed claims of fentanyl-laced cannabis from across the country. Many of our readers are medical marijuana patients or adult cannabis consumers. If they face a serious risk using any cannabis-related products, we intend to let them know about it.
What we can tell you is this: The “fentanyl-laced marijuana” scare is false. Over and over, state lab tests have disproven police claims of cannabis suspected of contamination.
The lie spreads from three sources: Faulty field drug testing kits, police departments incentivized to hype local fear, and reporters who fail to question, investigate, or follow up on police...
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