Ahead of trick-or-treaters heading out to collect candy this Halloween, the Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a warning about young people being targeted with brightly-colored "rainbow fentanyl."
The DEA says the brightly-colored fentanyl comes in multiple forms, including pills, powder and blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk. It has been spotted in nearly two dozen states.
Fentanyl is highly addictive and potentially deadly. According to the DEA, "Mexican drug cartels" are deliberately making and marketing the drug "to look like candy to children and young people."
"Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement.
Despite claims that certain colors may be more potent than others, there is no indication through DEA's laboratory testing that this is the case. Every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous, the agency said.
The DEA did not mention a specific threat or link between rainbow fentanyl and Halloween, but officials are encouraging individuals to stay vigilant.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose, the DEA said. Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66% of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The DEA says fentanyl available in the U.S. is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
"The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States," Milgram said.
Parents are urged to call 911 immediately if they encounter fentanyl in any form -- and to be especially careful with candy brought home by children during upcoming Halloween celebrations.
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