WASHINGTON — The DEA is informing Americans about an emerging new trend which suggests to federal agents that drug cartels are disguising dangerous doses of addictive fentanyl as colored candies.
An announcement from the Drug Enforcement Administration says it is advising the public of the availability of the rainbow colored pills “across the United States”.
According to a news release issued Wednesday, federal and state law enforcement officers reportedly found evidence of these drugs in 18 states throughout the month of August.
Chris Schaffner, Program Director at JOLT Harm Reduction in Peoria says his group’s network of technology and information sources around the region does not suggest a presence of these dangerous colored fentanyl pill doses “yet”.
Shaffner adds there is a potential for children to find these pills, “but the likelihood of that happening is so low,” he says. Schaffner, noting Wednesday as Overdose Prevention Awareness Day, says central Illinois families should be more aware of the broader infusion of fentanyl across all different types of hard drugs in the current street supply.
Directly from DEA News Release:
“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,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
Brightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that even resemble sidewalk chalk.
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.
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.
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 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
In September 2021, DEA launched the One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of fake pills. Additional resources for parents and the community can be found on DEA’s Fentanyl Awareness page.
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