Can You Abuse Pills By Rubbing Them On The Skin?

I recently heard a rumor that someone was licking pills, possibly opiates, and rubbing the moistened pills on the skin for trans-dermal absorption. I’ve never heard of this and I can’t find anything on it. I even checked with a 10 year veteran of drug and alcohol treatment who never heard of this. Is this just a overzealous reporter is or this something new?
Don’t forget that there are abused transdermal drugs, namely fentanyl, one of the reasons why I’m concerned that this may be legit.

More Meth Drug Addiction Info: