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.

FATAL DRUG COMBINATION SPARKS ALERT AS ‘RHINO TRANQ’ SPREADS ACROSS US

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.

‘GAS STATION HEROIN’ BANNED IN ANOTHER STATE AMID NATIONWIDE CRACKDOWNS

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.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

“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”).

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

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. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“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.”

Advertisement

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.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

“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.

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.

Use escape to exit the menu.

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.

COMMON DRINKING HABIT MAY QUIETLY TRIPLE RISK OF ADVANCED LIVER CONDITION

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.

GEN Z STILL DRINKS, JUST EARLIER AS THE ‘DAYCAP’ TREND BEGINS UPENDING NIGHTLIFE

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.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

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.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

“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.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

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.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

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.