Health Care

Virginia outlaws pill presses in crackdown on counterfeit drugs

It joins a handful of states that have taken this step.
A couple of manual pill press machines used to mass-produce fake pills containing fentanyl sold on the dark net and through dealers openly operating on social media sites are displayed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California offices in Los Angeles, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Pill press machines that can make deadly fentanyl-laced tablets look like legitimate prescription medications were outlawed in Virginia on Thursday, when Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed a bill aimed at cracking down on the illegal trafficking of counterfeit drugs.

Virginia is the latest of a handful of states — including Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Utah and Washington — to ban the possession or sale of pill presses. Drug enforcement officials have identified the machines as key tools for drug cartels that have flooded the American market with pills dyed and stamped to resemble oxycodone, Xanax, Adderall or other drugs.

Stay informed
Subscribe to keep reading.

Sign up today to get the latest state new at your fingertips and in your inbox.