Snapchat May Have a Connection with Fentanyl Related Deaths in US: Source

Does the social media platform Snapchat has a connection with fentanyl-related deaths in the US? In order to answer this, an investigation is going on by federal agencies who are scrutinizing Snapchat’s participation in the distribution and sale of fentanyl-laced tablets in the US. According to persons familiar with the situation who asked to remain anonymous, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and lawyers from the US Justice Department are investigating fentanyl poisoning cases to check out if the purchases were managed via Snapchat.

Furthermore, the agents have spoken with the parents of the deceased children and are attempting to gain access to their social media accounts in order to identify the manufacturers of the deadly medications. According to documents obtained through a subpoena from Snapchat, in many cases, minors believed they were purchasing prescription medications but instead ingested pure fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more strong than morphine. A representative for the FBI stated that the organization would not confirm or deny the existence of an inquiry.

Snapchat May Have a Connection with Fentanyl-Related Deaths in US: Source

A roundtable discussion hosted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee will take place on Capitol Hill to address the role that technology companies have played in the ongoing fentanyl problem. Snapchat will be the main point of discussion, according to Laura Marquez-Garrett, an attorney with the Social Media Victims Law Center. She asserted, “The fentanyl overdose deaths of American children are a Snapchat issue, not a social media issue.

On the other hand, Snapchat’s maker, Snap Inc., said that it has increased moderation efforts to find illegal drug sales and has partnered with law enforcement for years to crack down on criminal activities on its platform. According to Snap, more than 400,000 user accounts that posted content referencing drugs were deleted last year.

Teenage drug deaths in America have increased sharply in recent years, and fentanyl produced illegally has been the primary cause of this rise. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2019 and 2021, the median monthly overdose rate among teenagers in the US increased by 109%, while the rate of fentanyl-related deaths among the same 10- to 19-year-old cohort increased by 182%. The use of fake medications has been connected to about 25% of cases, which is alarming.

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