Cops post Ebola-tainted meth ruse to catch drug users; does it erode trust?
Some police departments are posting hoax warnings online that purportedly alert drug users that methamphetamine and other drugs could contain Ebola.
The sting, posted on Facebook by at least two police departments, tells drug users to stop by the police station for testing, the Associated Press reports. The tactic has resulted in at least one arrest.
Police departments in Granite Shoals, Texas, and Grayson, Louisiana, have posted such warnings. Grayson Police Chief Mitch Bratton told AP that the post generated several calls from concerned people, and “it opened the door for us to talk about the dangers of meth.”
Critics, however, say that the online posts could cause alarm, even among those who don’t use drugs, and could make the public less likely to heed real health warnings.
