The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of an emerging trend of colorful fentanyl that is available across the country. Last month alone (August) the DEA and law enforcement in 18 states seized brightly colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills.
The colored fentanyl dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” uses its appeal of bright colors to give it the impression of looking like candy in order to sell it to children and young people.
“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. “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.”
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.
