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Martin County Sheriff's Office offering 'free heroin testing'

Posted at 11:53 AM, May 08, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-09 04:45:54-04

There’s a social media post going viral that has many people talking. You might have seen it circulating on Facebook this weekend. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is offering "free heroin testing.”

The post was shared more than 800 times.

It even says, “If you know someone selling heroin who may be unaware of this free offer, please message us their contact information and we will be happy to reach out to them."

Despite what you may think, it was real. However, it was sarcastic. There was a purpose behind the post.
And there was no real expectation that anyone would take it seriously.

“We don’t expect anybody to come in to have their heroin tested for GMOs, but if they would like to they’re welcome,” said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.

Snyder said he used sarcasm to keep the spot light on the very serious matter, the rising number of opioid-related deaths happening across the country and in his county.

“The post absolutely served its purpose,” said Snyder. “It went viral. We’ve seen thousands and thousands of people have engaged. People are talking about it, and that’s what we really wanted to do.”

While the post was meant to be sarcastic, Snyder said it did actually generate at least one tip.