The dangerous opioid fentanyl can appear in many forms, and Hayward police say they have just discovered a new one.
Most often, illicit fentanyl is distributed as a powder or pill. But the Hayward Police Department on Friday warned of a new, gel-like variety "that looks similar to chewing gum."
"It's kind of a squishy substance," Cassandra Fovel, an officer and spokesperson with the department, said.
Fovel said the varieties of fentanyl being dealt are changing quickly, and this form comes in at least three different colors that seem to indicate degrees of strength.
"And obviously the bright colors and kind of the gum-like texture could be attractive even to young people," Fovel claimed. "And obviously fentanyl is very dangerous, even to touch it, and so we want the community to be aware that, if they see that in a public place, obviously, to stay away and to contact the police so that we can deal with it."
Toxicology experts have repeatedly said it’s impossible to overdose on fentanyl by touching it.
The U.S. just had its highest number of drug overdose deaths ever for a 12-month span, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics reported this week that nearly 97,000 people died of reported overdoses during the 12-month period ending in March 2021. Over 10,400 people in California died of reported overdoses during that time, up from just shy of 7,000 in the 12-month span ending in March 2020.
The surge was attributed, at least in part, to the rising use of synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
"As this epidemic with fentanyl continues, it's important to get the information out to the community and make sure that they are aware of the different types of drugs and what they look like," Fovel said.
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