PHILADELPHIA — As Halloween approaches, the federal government has been warning parents of a spooky new danger: Drug cartels are using rainbow-colored pills and powders that look like candy to introduce children to highly addictive synthetic opioids. One taste could kill.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s press releases in recent months have warned that drug dealers are using the pills’ appealing bright colors to entice children and young adults into addiction. A slew of news outlets and national legislators have seized on the idea, with some advising parents to check their children’s Halloween candy, just in case.
But local and national experts say that while fentanyl is a serious concern for drug users — especially those who aren’t used to opioids — drug dealers aren’t targeting children or secreting fentanyl into their candy.
