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New homemade pills hit Utah streets, powerful mystery contents can be deadly

Posted at 11:11 AM, May 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-10 19:00:45-04

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah - As if Utah's deadly epidemic stemming from opiate pain medication and heroin we're not bad enough, law enforcement and public health officials are now warning about a new threat.

Pills are showing up on the streets looking like something made in a pharmaceutical lab, pills that resemble Percocet, Lortab or Vicodin.

But in reality they are manufactured in homemade pill presses, police have no idea what is in them and neither do the users.

Officials said they often contain multiple drugs, making them intensely more powerful than morphine.

Traces of those drugs are showing up in overdose victims at the State Medical Examiner's Office.

Police and public health experts said they are trying to get ahead of the problem before it gets worse.

Authorities said they recognize users in the throes of addiction probably don't take the time to check the source of the pills they are purchasing and consuming.

The message from health officials is simple; looks can be deceiving and even deadly.

Even though the pills look like they may come from a regular pharmacy, they may not.

Authorities are urging Utahns not to buy pills on the street because users do not know what is in them and they could be deadly.