Xylazine, reported as an adulterant in an increasing number of illicit drug mixtures, has also been detected in a growing number of overdose deaths. It is commonly encountered in combination with fentanyl but has also been detected in mixtures containing cocaine, heroin, and a variety of other drugs. However, xylazine...

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has released the 2022 edition of Drugs of Abuse, A DEA Resource Guide, which is designed to be a reliable resource on the most commonly used and misused drugs in the United States. Released on a periodic basis, Drugs of Abuse provides important science-based information...

DEA officials report a dramatic rise in the number of fake pills containing at least 2 mg of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose.

What is it? Many counterfeit pills are made to look like prescription opioids – such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®) – but contain fentanyl or methamphetamine. Criminal drug networks are mass-producing fake pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills...

The increasing availability of illicit opioids is the most significant drug threat in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Field Division (PFD) monitors this threat closely, periodically reviewing multiple data indicators, in conjunction with investigative information, to continually assess the threat, then share analytical findings with stakeholders in federal, state, and municipal governments.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Heroin Signature Program (HSP) analyzes hundreds of wholesale-level heroin samples each year to identify the geographic area—Mexico, South America (SA), Southwest Asia (SWA), or Southeast Asia (SEA)—where the samples were manufactured.

The HSP (Heroin Signature Program) is one essential component of the DEA’s Intelligence Program to identify trends in heroin trafficking and distribution in the United States. The objective of the program is to identify and quantify the chemical components of heroin seized at U.S. ports of entry (POE), all non-POE...

DEA's revised and updated drug fact sheet about synthetic stimulants known by the street name "bath salts" - what are they, what is their origin, what are the common street names for these drugs, what do they look like, how are they abused, what their effect is on the mind...

DEA's revised and updated drug fact sheet about the class of drugs known as depressants - what are they, what their origin is, what are the common street names for these drugs, what do they look like, how they are abused, what their effect is on the mind and bodies...

DEA's revised and updated drug fact sheet about heroin - what it is, what is its history, what are its common street names, what it looks like, how it is abused, what its effect is on the mind and bodies of users including signs of overdose, and its legal status.