Why People Are Injecting These Unapproved Drugs From the Internet | WSJ (Level 1)

Many people are talking about peptides. Peptides are small chemicals in our bodies. Today, people buy man-made peptides online. They use needles to put them into their bodies. They want bigger muscles, clear skin, or long hair. Some peptide medicines are approved by doctors. For example, some people use them to lose weight. Because these safe medicines work well, people want to try other peptides. However, many peptides sold online are not safe. People buy them from unapproved websites. The bottles say 'not for humans.' But people still use them at home. They trust videos on the internet instead of doctors. These unapproved peptides can be very dangerous. For example, one peptide for tanning can cause skin cancer. The government will have a meeting to talk about these rules. For now, it is important to remember that many online peptides are not safe.