(WWJ) - It's brightly colored like candy and resembles sidewalk chalk, but agents warn "rainbow fentanyl" making the rounds across the United Sates is extremely dangerous.
The Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement last week as agents discovered fentanyl pills and power are coming in a variety of bright colors, shapes and sizes as "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."
Federal officials said the colored candy-like fentanyl has been seized in a variety of forms, from pills to blocks to power.
In Michigan, agents say they have been seizing "significant quantities" of rainbow fentanyl pills and powder in the last three to six months.
Orville Greene, special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Division of the DEA told the Detroit Free Press that while he cannot reveal the exact quantities due to pending investigations, "we're not talking about grams. ... That's not what we're talking about."
It's "kilogram levels or kilogram amounts," he clarified.
The DEA said testing doesn't show some colors to be more potent than others despites claims stating otherwise.
"Every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous," authorities said.
According to the DEA, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger heroin and more 100 potent than morphine.
"Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose," authorities said.
The DEA said fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat in the United States and is being supplied primarily through two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
“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," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a prepared statement.
The CDC estimates 107,600 Americans have died of drug overdoses in 2021 with 66% of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
It's a record high, officials said.
"Educating ourselves, just having the conversations about the dangers of fentanyl is a really important thing," Greene said. "You don't have to be a chronic misuser or someone who is addicted to drugs to overdose on fentanyl ... you could take a pill from a friend and that pill happens to ... contain fentanyl."
Federal agents say if you encounter fentanyl, do not handle or touch it and alert police immediately.
Educational awareness about the dangers of fake pills include the DEA's One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign.
Additional resources for parents and the community can be found at the DEA's Fentanyl Awareness page.