A dangerous drug smuggling trend has been reported among U.S. jails and prisons, highlighting a growing health risk.

Synthetic cannabinoids have been increasingly detected in fatal overdoses among incarcerated individuals, according to a recent alert from The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CFSRE).

These man-made psychoactive substances are designed to mimic the effects of THC, the primary active component of cannabis.

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Reports have also revealed that synthetic cannabinoids are increasingly being smuggled into correctional facilities on common paper items, such as letters, greeting cards, books, postcards and magazines.

The CFSRE has previously warned of “drug-soaked paper strips” causing overdoses among incarcerated individuals.

In many cases, the papers are laced with a “potpourri” of synthetic cannabinoids mixed with other dangerous drugs, officials noted.

“While it’s impossible to know exactly why people are cooking up these combinations, I suspect they are simply ordering these substances from China or India and mixing them with very little understanding of how different substances interact or what constitutes a lethal dose,” Alex Krotulski, director of toxicology and chemistry for the CFSRE, told a local outlet.

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In a December 2024 study, the CFSRE found that the paper strips it examined primarily contained “synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, nitazene opioids, and other novel psychoactive substances.”

The drug-laced papers have been found to cause “severe health outcomes,” including central nervous system depression (slowed brain activity) and bradycardia (slowed heart rate), the agency stated.

Cook County Jail in Chicago, which houses nearly 5,000 detainees, has reported increasing cases of smugglers soaking paper with synthetic drugs and sending them into the jail through mail or visitors.

In 2023, the jail’s administration confirmed 18 total deaths of prisoners in custody. Five of those were caused by overdose, with three involving synthetic cannabinoids, according to Cook County Medical Examiner records.

“I cannot stress how serious this is,” Dr. Priscilla Ware, who oversees Cook County Correctional Health and is medical director of Cermak Health Services, told a local outlet in November 2023. “People are dying from this product every single day when they use it.”

“I cannot stress how serious this is.”

To address the growing trend of soaking paper with cannabinoids, the jail’s administrators reportedly implemented a ban on paper in April 2023.

In 2024, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told a local outlet that while overdose deaths were lower that year, drug-soaked paper smuggling continues to be an issue.

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“Unfortunately, it has been common to see test results for drug-soaked paper come back with two or three dangerous drugs, and we know that the people who produce this paper often included toxic chemicals, such as insecticides and rat poison, in their ‘recipes,’” Dart told the outlet. 

“That was alarming enough. But to see these results come back with a half dozen or more dangerous synthetic drugs – any one of which could be fatal on its own – is terrifying.”

In July 2024, Cook County reportedly seized three pieces of paper that were suspected to be laced with drugs. Testing by CFSRE found that the papers contained up to 10 separate dangerous synthetic drugs, including protonitazene (a synthetic opioid up to three times more powerful than fentanyl) and xylazine (a powerful animal sedative known as “tranq” or “zombie drug”).

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Cook County noted in an August 2024 press release that drug-laced papers have been known to sell for $10,000 per page.

The issue appears to extend beyond Chicago, as The New York Times has reported that at least 16 states have prosecuted people for smuggling drug-laced papers into jails and prisons.

“Drug‑soaked paper allows extremely powerful substances — synthetic cannabinoids, opioids and other novel compounds — to be delivered invisibly, without smell or obvious residue, making detection difficult in many environments,” Dr. Adam Scioli, chief medical officer of Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, told Fox News Digital.

Scioli said the “drug‑impregnated paper” should not be viewed as a problem limited to prisons. 

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“It represents a broader and very troubling shift in how highly potent synthetic drugs are being distributed, concealed and consumed across multiple settings,” he said. “The same delivery method can easily affect schools, mail rooms, shelters, treatment centers and private homes — any place where paper moves freely and inspection is limited.”

The fact that paper can be handled or shared unintentionally raises the risk not only of overdose, but of accidental exposure to staff, family members or bystanders, Scioli cautioned.

“The same delivery method can easily affect schools, mail rooms, shelters, treatment centers and private homes.”

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To reduce accidental exposure and to protect both the public and frontline workers, Scioli calls for early detection and screening tools.

“Expanding access to evidence‑based addiction treatment, including medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder, directly lowers demand for illicit and high‑risk substances,” he added.

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“A coordinated response that includes healthcare, public safety, mail systems and community education is essential — this cannot be solved by enforcement alone.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Cook County Jail requesting comment.

Parents’ drinking habits really do rub off on their children, a new study suggests.

Specific parenting interventions can break the cycle of generational substance use, even if the parents don’t stop drinking themselves, according to researchers from the Federal University of São Paulo.

The study analyzed data from more than 4,200 Brazilian teens and their guardians, finding that parents’ drinking habits are a leading predictor of whether their teenagers will partake in alcohol or drugs.

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A parent’s alcohol consumption is associated with a 24% probability of their child drinking — and that risk escalates when multiple substances are involved, according to the study’s press release. 

When guardians use both alcohol and tobacco or vapes, the likelihood of their children following suit jumps to 28%. The findings were published in the scientific journal Addictive Behaviors.

The data was collected from 2023 to 2024 in four towns in Brazil. The average age of the adolescents was 14.7 years, and the group included an even mix of boys and girls.

“With this study, we reinforce the fact that parents’ patterns of alcohol and other drug use influence their children’s,” said lead author Zila Sanchez, a professor at the university, in the release.

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The most effective form of prevention appears to be lead-by-example abstinence. 

When guardians opt not to drink, 89% of adolescents refrain from using alcohol or other drugs.

Home environment also played a role in adolescent substance use, as the researchers analyzed the effects of the following four parenting styles.

• Authoritative: High affection mixed with clear rules (most effective)
• Authoritarian: Strict rules but low affection (reduced drug use, but was less effective against alcohol)
• Permissive: High affection but no rules (offered no protective effect)
• Neglectful: Low affection and no rules (offered no protective effect)

“If they set rules and limits at home and show affection, these protective factors greatly minimize the risk they themselves pose when they consume these substances,” Sanchez said.

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However, the researchers warned that affection isn’t a cure-all, and that if alcohol is framed as a universal coping mechanism, a teenager is far more likely to adopt that behavior.

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“When consumption is frequent and treated as something trivial, it translates into greater risk, regardless of the existing emotional bond,” Sanchez said.

The researchers noted some limitations of the study.

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Because it analyzed a snapshot of data from one point in time, it shows a connection but cannot prove that parents’ drinking caused the teens’ choices.

The data also relied on surveys from teenagers, who may have underreported their own use or misremembered their parents’ habits.

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Additionally, because the study focused only on four towns in Brazil, the results may not reflect drinking cultures or family dynamics in other parts of the world.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing to expand the Dietary Guidelines for Americans into hospitals, integrating federal nutrition standards into patient care.

On March 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), led by Dr. Mehmet Oz, sent a memo directing hospitals to align their meals with the guidelines by reducing ultraprocessed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined carbohydrates and added sugars.

Kennedy reportedly shared that Oz’s memo effectively acts like a federal mandate, as hospitals may need to follow the dietary guidelines to maintain funding.

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Most hospital menus rely heavily on convenience foods, according to Dr. Hamid Khan, chief medical officer of Jorie AI, a healthcare revenue service.

“Patients are often served items such as pasta, processed deli meats, packaged snacks with artificial components, sugary desserts, cereals, juice and soda,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“Although many hospitals have begun the implementation of ‘healthier options,’ the average menu still tends to prioritize low cost, long shelf life and ease of preparation over nutrition.”

Larger concerns include high sugar and sodium levels, processed ingredients and refined carbohydrates in hospital foods, Khan said. “There seems to be a lack of high-quality protein, fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy fats,” he added.

“The average hospital menu still tends to prioritize low cost, long shelf life and ease of preparation over nutrition.”

Khan said he has seen patients order their meals from Grubhub, DoorDash or Uber Eats because they felt the hospital menu options were not healthy enough.

“Most of the hospital meals do not provide adequate nutrients … to properly support healing, muscle maintenance, immunity or overall recovery,” he told Fox News Digital.

“Poor nutrition only makes things worse for this patient pool,” Khan went on. “Ultimately, poor nutrition is very harmful for elderly patients and people with chronic illnesses. They are at a higher risk for muscle loss, weakness, delayed healing, infection and re-infection.”

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian is partnering with Tampa General Hospital in Florida to transform hospital dining, introducing Mediterranean diet–inspired meals for patients.

Zakarian told Fox News Digital that hospital food is often a mix of “high desire, low-value and low-nutrition food,” typically priced to meet a strict per-plate cost that hospitals cannot exceed.

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“[There is] very little emphasis on original, pasture-raised proteins and fats like eggs, whole dairy grass-fed beef and poultry, and unprocessed vegetables,” he said.

In Tampa, Zakarian has been working since 2023 to eliminate all processed foods — removing items containing hormones, added sugars, seed oils and anything prepackaged.

“All the food originates from farms and gardens in and around Tampa,” he said, calling the mission “Farm to Gurney.”

Sec. Kennedy and CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a similar initiative at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami.

Vani Hari, known as the “Food Babe,” told Fox News Digital that this is the first time leaders in Washington are openly acknowledging that food is medicine.

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“The fact that they had to send a memo reminding hospitals of that tells you everything about how broken the system is,” said Hari, who is based in North Carolina. “People are at their most vulnerable in a hospital bed – and for decades, nobody in charge seemed to care what they were eating.”

Medicare and Medicaid fund the majority of inpatient services, including at least half of inpatient days at 96% of hospitals and two-thirds or more at 80% of hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA).

An AHA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that hospitals recognize nutritious food is an essential part of healing and recovery. 

“They are deeply committed to providing patients with high‑quality, nutritious meals that meet clinical standards, individual dietary needs and federal guidance,” said the spokesperson. 

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Hospital teams collaborate with registered dietitians and clinical staff to make sure each patient receives meals tailored to their medical needs and recovery plan, according to the AHA.

The spokesperson also said the organization regularly evaluates current evidence-based nutrition recommendations and integrates them into meal programs.

“Beyond the hospital walls, we partner with community organizations to expand access to nutritious food, provide education on healthy eating, and support initiatives that promote long‑term wellness,” they added.