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Teens buying drugs on social media
LOS ANGELES - FOX 11 reported Monday about the tragic overdose death of the sixteen-year-old son of TV host and therapist Laura Berman. Drugs that he reportedly bought off of Snapchat. Hal Eisner delves deeper into how that could happen and what parents need to watch out for on their children's social media.
"Every time I hear about one of these deaths it’s gut-wrenching," says Matt Capelouto.
That’s because his daughter Alexandra was one of them. It happened Christmas-time 2019, says Capelouto.
"She purchased what she thought was oxycodone a drug dealer was advertising on Snapchat and died," he said.
RELATED: TV host Dr. Laura Berman's son dies after apparent overdose
She was 20-years-old. Sadly, she’s not alone. Social media drug dealing is a real problem according to the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Taylor Reichelt got so hooked on drugs he bought online that he became homeless. He purchased it on Instagram.
How did he find the dealers?
Reichelt says it was "through hashtags."
He says, "I got involved in certain communities where we’d trade information... trade drugs."
Reichelt would pick up his drugs on the street where he’d meet the dealer. For others, the dealers come right up to their doors.
Amy Neville says, "My son Alexander took a pill he ordered through social media and it killed him."
He was 14.
Neville says Alexander would get his drugs from Snapchat.
Jodie Barber’s son died in 2010. She says, he got hooked on pharmaceutical drugs at first because of doctor prescriptions. Barber has spent the last decade going to schools and trying to help other young people avoid the same outcome.
Barber says she has learned a lot. How hard is it to score drugs on social media platforms?
"It's so easy. It’s easier than getting alcohol. They can order it and have it delivered to their doors in 10 minutes. It’s so so scary out there," Barber said.
For the last year, Mike Capelouto has worked with his local lawmaker to create "The Alexandra Law."
It will be officially unveiled later this month in Los Angeles. It’s officially called SB (Senate Bill) 350. After a first offense, a convicted social media drug dealer would sign a document showing they now know the drugs they’re selling like fentanyl can kill.
So, if there is a second offense the dealer could be tried for second-degree murder. If that comes to be, Matt Capelouto says emotionally, "I don’t know what it’s going to feel like, but I just imagine it’s going to put a breath of life back in my body!"
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