"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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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com