美国国家公共电台 NPR--Some Mexican pharmacies sell pills laced with deadly fentanyl to U.S. travelers

Some Mexican pharmacies¹ sell pills laced with deadly fentanyl to U.S. travelers

Transcript²

Testing on an Adderall pill from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, came back positive in January. Pharmacies there are selling counterfeit³ prescription⁴ pills laced with illicit⁵ substances and passing them off as legitimate⁶ pharmaceuticals⁷.

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Some Mexican pharmacies that cater⁸ to U.S. tourists are selling medications that appear safe but are laced with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine.

That's the conclusion of new research that examined medications purchased legally in four cities in northern Mexico where travelers from the U.S. often seek low-cost health care and pharmaceuticals.

"For pills sold as oxycodone, we tested 27 and found 10 or 11 of them contained either fentanyl or heroin," said Chelsea Shover, a researcher at the UCLA School of Medicine.

She said the behavior by retail⁹ pharmacies in Mexico puts unsuspecting people at high risk of overdose and death.

"When I see there are fentanyl pills somewhere that look like [prescription drugs], I know there have to have been people who've died from that," Shover said.

Her team also found medications sold at Mexican pharmacies laced with methamphetamines.

While these drug stores sell medications to Mexican consumers, Shover says their main customers appear to be Americans.

"Similar products are available at a much lower price in Mexico, so Americans do travel to save money."

Two Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. State Department calling for a travel advisory¹⁰ to warn Americans of the danger of purchasing medications in Mexico.

"We should be absolutely very concerned," said Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), one of the authors of the letter. "We have almost 12 million Americans visiting Mexico every year."

According to Trone, pharmacies boosting profits with the high-risk practice are located in communities where Americans travel seeking relief from high-cost prescription medications sold in the U.S.

"There's literally¹¹ a pharmacy¹² on every corner, they're everywhere down there, because the price of drugs is cheaper."

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported State Department officials apparently¹³ knew about the danger posed by Mexican pharmacies as long ago as 2019 but failed to issue a high-profile alert to travelers.

According to the newspaper's investigation¹⁴, at least one U.S. traveler is known to have overdosed and died after taking medications purchased at a drug store in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 2019.

Rep. Trone said if U.S. officials knew about unsafe medications being sold at legal outlets¹⁵ in Mexico, they should have warned travelers sooner.

"We've heard nothing back [from the State Department] and it's very frustrating," he added.

The State Department sent a statement to NPR saying it wouldn't comment on the letter from lawmakers.

On background, an official pointed¹⁶ to an advisory included in the State Department's standard on-line information about Mexico that urges travelers to "exercise caution when purchasing medications overseas."

"Counterfeit medication is common and may prove to be ineffective, the wrong strength, or contain dangerous ingredients," the advisory reads.

There's no reference, however, to the specific risks of dangerous drugs laced with fentanyl sold at legal pharmacies.

During a press briefing Monday, spokesman Ned Price said American officials constantly update safety advisories¹⁷ issued for Mexico.

"We are always looking at information to determine whether it is necessary to move our travel warnings in one direction or another," he said.

Earlier this month, four Americans were kidnapped by gunmen while traveling to Mexico to seek low-cost medical care. Two of them were killed.

That case had already raised concerns about the safety of medical tourism in the country.

1 pharmacies   

药店

参考例句：

• Still, 32 percent of the pharmacies filled the prescriptions. 但仍然有32%的药剂师配发了这两张药方。 来自互联网
• Chinese herbal pharmacies, and traditional massage therapists in the Vancouver telephone book. 中药店，和传统的按摩师在温哥华的电话簿里。 来自互联网

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

4 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

5 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

9 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

10 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

11 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

12 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

13 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

17 advisories   

n.（有关进展、动向、建议等的）报告( advisory的名词复数 )；公告；通告；通报

参考例句：

• Compliance with Practice Advisories is optional. 是否遵守实务公告由审计师自行选择决定。 来自互联网
• Hardened-PHP: not as such a PHP security information website, but it does have security advisories. 增强PHP:不仅仅是一个PHP安全新的网站，它还提供安全建议。 来自互联网