Did Department of Health spokesperson Dr. William Gould admit crystal meth is actually good for people? No, that's not true: the doctor is fictional and the story actually came from a satire website. None of it is real. Don't use meth.
The story went viral as an article published on September 30, 2018 on Huzlers titled "Doctors Admit "Crystal Meth Is Actually Good For You"" (archived here) which opened:
Doctors have today admitted that they have been wrong about crystal meth this whole time and that the powerful narcotic is actually amazingly beneficial for health and well being.
"It increases concentration and drive, providing a much needed energy boost for the carrying out of petty crimes and handbag robberies," confirmed Department of Health spokesperson Dr. William Gould. "A strict diet of crystal meth is shown to improve brain function making it easier to count coins collected on the street by begging with a coffee cup."
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail, and if they were meth users they might have actually believed it was true:
Doctors Admit "Crystal Meth Is Actually Good For You"
Doctors have today admitted that they have been wrong about crystal meth this whole time and that the powerful narcotic is actually amazingly beneficial for health and well being. "It increases concentration and drive, providing a much needed energy boost for the carrying out of petty crimes and handbag robberies," confirmed Department of Health spokesperson ...
But the story then went on to describe the many "benefits" of meth, like shedding "unwanted pounds, hair and teeth" and the promotion of "the the growth of healthy scabs and unclean fingernails".
The story originally appeared on Wunderground, possibly in 2014:
"Crystal Meth Actually Good For You" Admit Doctors
Doctors have today admitted that they have been wrong about crystal meth this whole time and that the powerful narcotic is actually amazingly beneficial for health and well being. "It increases concentration and drive, providing a much needed energy boost for the carrying out of petty crimes and handbag robberies," confirmed Department of Health spokesperson...
The site describes itself like this:
Wunderground is a fictionalised, satirical publication. Proceed with caution. Use only as directed. Place device approx 12" from face and wear suitable gloves and face protection. In case of contact with your eyes, immediately seek medical attention. Keep out of reach of children and techno chin-strokers. Repeated exposure may cause dizziness, confusion and an obsession for stupid afterparty headlines. Memorising Wunderground may cause cancer. Contains waffle.
In addition to that, Huzlers (the site that copied the story) styles itself as a "fauxtire" website and carries a disclaimer at the bottom of each page:
Huzlers.com is the most infamous fauxtire & satire entertainment website in the world. If it's trending on social media you'll find it here!
According to Splinter News the site is run by Pablo Reyes and David Martinez and according to Buzzfeed Reyes is involved with several other fake news websites. They tend to shy away from political stories, opting instead to write for a more "urban" audience, with stories about rappers, criminals and celebrities.
We wrote about huzlers.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
- Fake News: Post Malone's Tour Manager Did NOT Quit, Did NOT Say Post Malone Smells Like Expired Milk And Moldy Cheese
- Fake News: Rapper Tekashi 69 Has NOT Died Of LIGMA Overdose
- Fake News: Florida Man Did NOT Burn Down Home After Lighting Nike Shoes On Fire In Protest Of Nike's Colin Kaepernick Ad
- Fake News: Police Did NOT Discover Over 250 Penises During Raid At Funeral Employees Home
- Fake News: Kodak Black NOT Arrested Again Just 1 Day After Being Released From Jail On Marijuana and Illegal Firearm Charges
