The use of the anxiety prescription medication known as Xanax has proven to be quite influential in the recent sad rap music movement. We have seen everything from the rapper Lil Pump cut into a Xanax cake after reaching 1 million followers on Instagram to the death of Lil Peep who died due to a Xanax related overdose. As of late many of these US artists have been denouncing the Xan culture but is it perhaps too late now that we are seeing fake versions of the highly addictive drug grip the UK?

Many of these fake versions of XANAX can be seen in selfies on social media with #bartard and #xanman in the captions and much of the time the addictive nature of this medication is being disregarded despite the fact that the withdrawal symptoms which include seizures and psychosis.

As this drug grows in popularity the age old question is being asked, and that is are the music artists to blame for glamorising this culture? VICE explores the world of Xanax.