'It's even scarier': Rainbow fentanyl targets children, young adults
Drug cartels are using a new method to expose young adults, teens and children to highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl, according to a memo from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
DEA agents and officers from other law enforcement agencies seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills made to look like candy in 18 states in August.
“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 news release. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop 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.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.
Local news:See the body camera footage of armed man shot by Rockford police
There is no indication that the rainbow fentanyl trend has hit the Rockford area, according to Winnebago County Coroner Jennifer Muraski.
“I’m looking at a picture of it right now and it looks like candy, little brightly colored tablets, which is very disturbing,” Muraski said. “When it comes to accidental overdoses, fentanyl is the number one drug we’re seeing. So now, if it’s coming in these colors, what they’re calling rainbow form, it’s even scarier.”
Freeport Police Chief Matt Summers said his officers have not seen so-called rainbow fentanyl within their jurisdiction but are aware of synthetic drugs marketed toward young people.
“It’s not only scary for the people who have overdosed, but also for the officers who come across it (fentanyl),” Summers said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 107,622 people died of drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, with two thirds of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Drug overdoses are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18-45, the CDC said.
The DEA launched its One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign in 2021 to educate people about the dangers of fake pills. Additional resources can be found on the DEA’s Fentanyl Awareness page.
“It’s all about education,” Muraski said. “I keep saying we’ve got to talk to our children and grandchildren and let them know what’s out there and how dangerous it is.”
Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: DEA memo: 'Rainbow fentanyl' targets children, young adults
