This Halloween parents are advised to be on the lookout for rainbow fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid.  This particular type of fentanyl gets its name from its bright colors, making it easy for it to be mistaken for candy. Rainbow fentanyl can be found in two forms: powder that looks like sidewalk chalk and brightly colored pills. Drug cartels are using rainbow fentanyl to target young teens and children. Traffickers are even nicknaming this drug sweat tarts or skittles. 

The likely hood of a kid ending up with rainbow fentanyl in their candy basket is unlikely. However, doctors and federal agents are still advising parents and others in the community to know the signs of fentanyl poisoning. The signs of an overdose can include dilated pupils, shallow breathing, cold or clammy hands, pale skin, limp or flimsy arms and legs, loss of consciousness, unresponsiveness, and vomiting. It is more common for someone who is unaware of the consumption of fentanyl to have an overdose. Doctors advise having naloxone on hand, which is the reversal drug for a fentanyl overdose. If you encounter a person having an overdose, you need to contact 911 immediately and attempt to keep the person conscious. If they are choking, you should turn them on their side. You should not put the person in a cold shower or bath, do not forcefully slap the person to try to make them wake up, do not inject the person with any other substances besides naloxone, and do not attempt to make the person vomit.

Young teens have been targeted, and many lives have been lost. Just in October a woman in New Jersey was accused of having 15,000 rainbow colored fentanyl pills in a Lego box as a part of a drug trafficking scheme. Not only should parents be cautious with holidays coming up, but they should be cautious in general. Federal agencies are warning parents to keep their kids away from any multi-colored pills that were not bought from the store. Cartels are stamping the letter ‘M’ with the number 30 to make fentanyl pills look like Oxycodone, federal agents want to get the word out to stay away from these as well.  

Keep your friends and family close. Tragic things can happen to innocent people. Don’t take things from people who you do not trust, or better yet don’t take things at all. Just in 2021 more than 72,000 Americans died from fentanyl, and its only getting worse. Stay safe, be careful, and watch out this Halloween. 

NBCUniversal News Group. (2022, September 26). Young people are being targeted with brightly colored ‘rainbow fentanyl,’ Government Drug Agency warns. NBCNews.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/young-people-are-targeted-brightly-colored-rainbow-fentanyl-government-rcna49503 

This Halloween, be on the lookout for ‘Rainbow Fentanyl’ masquerading as candy. Hartford HealthCare | CT. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://hartfordhealthcare.org/about-us/news-press/news-detail?articleid=44733&publicId=395 

Fentanyl overdose symptoms, dangers & treatment. American Addiction Centers. (2022, September 12). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/fentanyl-treatment/symptoms-associated-with-a-fentanyl-overdose 

Byfield, E. (2022, October 5). ‘parents Worst nightmare’: 15k Rainbow Fentanyl pills found hidden in Legos in NY bust. NBC New York. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/parents-worst-nightmare-15k-rainbow-fentanyl-pills-found-hidden-in-legos-in-ny-bust/3894088/