"You don't have to take a handful of them," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told WFLA. "All you gotta do is take one, and you're dead."

Gualtieri calls the spread of the drug – which apparently is found only in Pinellas County and sells for $5 a pill – a public health emergency. It has killed nine people recently, including a 25-year-old woman in Dunedin earlier this month, according to WFLA.

"People need to immediately stop buying Xanax on the street because their life literally depends on it," Gualtieri told WTVT.

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Yemaya Lyles (right) wipes away tears during a news conference in front of the Rockdale County Public Schools administration building on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Lyles' son, Antonio, was assaulted by a paraprofessional, who has since been fired and charged with battery. Lyles says her case against the school district has dragged on since then. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2023)

Credit: Miguel Martinez