Police across the country offer to test drugs for coronavirus, but not everyone finds it funny

Law enforcement agencies across the country are posting tongue-in-cheek PSAs offering to test meth for the coronavirus. 

The St. Francis County Sheriff's Office in Arkansas posted to its official Facebook page on Wednesday.

"WARNING: If you have recently purchased meth locally, it may be contaminated with the coronavirus," the post reads. "Please take it to the sheriff's office or police department and they will test it for free."

The sheriff's office also offered to send a deputy to test meth "in the privacy of your home," if you're not comfortable bringing the drugs to a police station. 

"Better safe than sorry," the sheriff's office wrote. 

The Arkansas agency was not the only one making jokes; Tavares police in Florida and Johnson City police in Texas made similar offers, along with officers in Merrill, Wisconsin.

Though most people found the "warning" amusing, the Wisconsin agency's post garnered mixed reactions in its comments. 

"Yikes, making fun of members of your community who are struggling is not a good look," one person wrote.

Another suggested there was nothing funny about a health scare.

"I don't think either the Corona virus or Merrill's meth problem are laughing matters," one woman said.

Merrill police updated their post a day later, acknowledging their PSA "sparked a lot of opinions, emotions, and touched some tender spots."

"Just to give you some history, we have actually experienced people report their illegal drugs being stolen, being ripped off in a drug deal, being sold a look-a-like illegal substance, etc. We have even experienced drunk drivers coming to pick up arrested drunk drivers as their 'sober responsible party,'" police said in their updated post. "So this attempt, although a long shot, still had some possibility behind it."

They added, "We will take those easy grabs at removing poison from our community whenever we can. That is our role which we un-apologetically must fulfill."