FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The extremely potent synthetic opioid fentanyl is appearing in a new form — colorful pills and powders that look like candy or sidewalk chalk, and officials are cautioning that children may be the intended target of the potentially lethal disguise.
Broward County Public Schools sent an alert to parents, faculty and staff recently to be aware of the candy-colored pills, dubbed “rainbow fentanyl,” and said the drug has been found in actual candy, such as Jolly Ranchers, and molded into gummy bears in some parts of the country.
Though the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said there have not been any reported cases of rainbow fentanyl to date in the area, the School District’s message said “law enforcement has advised that it is only a matter of time before it makes its way into our community.”
