Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 11, 2024 Public Safety Alert DEA issues warning about illegal online pharmacies Fake medications can lead to serious health risks, including harmful side effects, ineffective treatment and even death. DEA is committed to working jointly with the medical community to ensure legitimate controlled substances are not being diverted for illegal use. During Operation Press Your to be legitimate, U.S.-based or FDA approved sites, but are actually working with drug traffickers to fulfill online orders with fake pills. These website operators are going to great lengths to make the websites look like legitimate online pharmacies – they offer 24hour customer service, post online reviews and safety facts and offer deep discounts to deceive customers into believing they are buying from a reputable business. Often these illegal, online websites use U.S. website addresses and professional-looking designs to appear legitimate when, in fact, they are not. These companies operate illegally, deliberately deceiving American customers into believing they are purchasing safe, regulated medications when they are actually selling fake pills made with fentanyl or methamphetamine. Luck, which was announced on Monday, September 30, 2024, DEA discovered that a U.S.-based victim had ordered what she believed to be oxycodone from an online pharmacy, only to receive a fake pill made with fentanyl. The pill looked identical to a real oxycodone, but it was not – it was made with fentanyl and filler. Days after receiving the medication, the victim passed away from acute fentanyl poisoning as a result of taking one of the pills sent to her. The DEA has identified the following fake pharmacies in a recent criminal investigation: www.Curecog.com www.Pharmacystoresonline. com www.Careonlinestore.com www.yourphamacy.online www.MD724.com www.Greenleafdispensarystore.com www.Whatishydrocodone. weebly.com www.Orderpainkillersonline.com www.USAMedstores.com If you have purchased alleged medication from any of these websites, you should immediately stop using it and contact your local DEA office or report the incident at https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/rxaor/spring/main?execution=e1s1. The only safe prescription medications are those prescribed by a licensed he U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seen an increase in illegal online pharmacies selling and shipping counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and methamphetamine to unsuspecting customers in the United States who believe they are purchasing real pharmaceutical drugs: Oxycodone, Adderall, Xanax and other drugs from legitimate pharmacies. As Americans increasingly turn to online pharmacies to purchase necessary medications, DEA is issuing this Public Safety Alert to warn of an increase in illegal online, often foreign-based websites that are deceptively targeting American consumers. DEA has identified websites being operated in India and the Dominican Republic. Many of these sites purport T medical provider and dispensed by a trusted pharmacy. Patients should remain vigilant when purchasing medications online. DEA remains committed to the safety and health of the American people, which is why it is urging consumers to exercise extreme caution when purchasing medications online. While it can be difficult to identify an illegal online pharmacy, the following are possible red flags that a website is not a legitimate: · Sells prescription drugs without requiring a valid prescription from a healthcare provider · Offers much cheaper prices than what is typically seen in the market · Lists prices in a foreign currency · Does not contain proof of a valid pharmacy state license or DEA registration · Medicine arrives in broken or damaged packaging or in a foreign language · Medicine does not have an expiration date or is expired · Medicine looks different from what you have received in the past from your trusted pharmacist For more information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe from illegal and fake pills, visit DEA’s One Pill Can Kill resource page: https://www.dea.gov/. Visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s BeSafeRx campaign page: https://www.fda.gov/ for information on how to safely buy prescription medicines online and to locate a state-licensed online pharmacy. You can also contact your state board of pharmacy to verify a pharmacy’s license. Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee SUPPORT | FROM PAGE 1 comes to MCAS, quality education is restricted when standardized testing becomes the focal point in the classroom.” Passage of Question 2 will not eliminate the test, just its requirement as for graduation. “Students will still be tested,” Hurley noted, clearing up a common misconception. If passing MCAS is no longer a requirement for graduation, school systems might alter the custom of teaching to the test, at least to some degree. How much would probably vary by community and could decrease the level of MCAS results and its value as an analytical tool. The argument against passage, as written in the Information for Voters mailing on the ballot questions from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office, is, “It would remove our only statewide graduation standard. It’s not fair to grant diplomas to students who aren’t ready to graduate. Some districts will just adopt lower standards so students graduate even if they haven’t learned the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.” It also reads, “Massachusetts would have less rigorous graduation requirements than Mississippi and Alabama,” but does not note that Massachusetts is only one of nine states with MCAS or a similar test. That fact was mentioned by Everett resident and Malden English as a Learned Language teacher Jessica Boots in Public Comment at the outset of the meeting. “Some schools teach to the test because they want their scores to be high, but are you really teaching the whole child?” School Superintendent William Hart asked rhetorically. “What are you giving up? The argument is if it’s a useful tool to determine a person’s ability to move beyond high school. Standardized testing doesn’t necessarily measure a student’s ability to succeed, but it’s the law so we follow it.” Nevertheless, he feels “it is a good tool to measure where students are” – and without having to teach to the test “if a curriculum is strong and teaching methodology supports it, hopefully, outcomes will be strong.” Eliminating it as a graduation requirement could help Everett students. Hart said it could keep kids in school who may otherwise drop out because they don’t think they could pass the test. “The answer I don’t have is if we should replace the test,” Almeida-Barros said. ”Some sort of test will be required, but not the same test. I believe if Question 2 passes or not, we need a revamp of MCAS. It can’t continue to be the same test.” “I stand with a yes vote to get rid of it, but wonder what will take its place,” Bairos added. She also reported that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees has not taken a stance on Question 2, but is in favor of amending the test regardless of the outcome of the vote. “We need something,” Cristiano offered. “We get a lot of aid and need metrics to measure how well that money is spent.” The Committee’s discussion and vote was preceded by remarks in Public Comment by Boots, class of 2023 Everett High graduate Thalia Patino Molano and current High School senior Mayra Gutierrez. “Yes on 2 seeks to rectify savage inequity in education,” Boots said. “Academic English takes five to seven years to learn, and our students come from diverse backgrounds with different abilities one test can’t measure. It affects students of color, handicapped students and other marginalized students disproportionately.” She also feels teaching to the test is “limiting the exploration of diverse subjects that provide a well-rounded education. MCAS can be one data point. We need to come together to determine what indicates the actual way students can show their ability.” In her remarks, Ward 2 Member Joanna Garren noted that the Malden School Committee has also endorsed eliminating MCAS as a graduation requirement. Patino Molano said that despite the high MCAS score she received, “It was not worth the tears and sweat I spent to prepare for the test. Students should not just be test scores.” She also echoed sentiments that the test is culturally biased. “Meritocracy in the educational system is flawed,” she said. “The test is not made for Everett students and is unfair to children coming to this country who may have limited resources. It uses phrases only Americans would know and is not relatable to students still learning English. It would need translation and material taught for the test translated into those languages.” Guterriez expressed similar opinions in Spanish in Public Comment.
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