Searching “Adderall” on Spotify’s podcast platform reveals a mix of legitimate content—health podcasts discussing ADHD, addiction recovery shows, and comedy podcasts mentioning the drug—alongside deceptive pages posing as podcasts.
These fake pages often link to potentially illegal and dangerous online pharmacies selling drugs like Adderall, Oxycodone, Vicodin, Methadone, and Ambien, sometimes claiming no prescription is needed, which violates U.S. law.
A CNN investigation this week found dozens of these sham podcasts, with blatant titles like “My Adderall Store” appearing among the top 50 search results. These pages typically include episode descriptions with links to dubious websites peddling controlled substances. Spotify’s rules prohibit such illegal and spam content, and the company is now racing to remove these pages. After CNN flagged 26 offending podcasts on Thursday, Spotify promptly deleted them, but more remained on the platform by Friday morning.
“We are continuously working to identify and remove content that violates our policies,” a Spotify spokesperson told CNN.
The issue has sparked concern amid broader calls from parents for tech companies to curb online sales of illicit drugs, especially after teen overdose deaths linked to pills bought online. The proliferation of fake podcasts, likely fueled by AI’s ability to generate content quickly, also highlights gaps in Spotify’s content moderation.
This week, Lauren Balik, a tech stock blogger, publicly urged Spotify CEO Daniel Ek on X to tackle the issue. A Business Insider report on Thursday noted that hundreds of similar fake podcasts were flagged and removed by Spotify, underscoring the scale of the problem.
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